As Fate Would Have It
by topearsXXVII
Summary: What would happen if Kilik confessed his love to Rika? After hearing his heartfelt plea, would her feelings still have gone with Sora? Told in Kilik's POV, follow as two riders reach out for each other as history changes before their eyes.
1. Chapter 1: Mental Battle

**Disclaimer: I dont own Air Gear or anything associated with Air Gear. Enjoy my first fan fiction story!**

"Hey Kilik, I wanna talk to you about something"

"Oh Sora, didn't see you there. What do you wanna talk to me about?" My eyes don't move to face Sora, but instead remained glued onto the computer screen on my lap. At least 80% of my concentration wasn't on Sora and he knows it. +10 points.

"I've been around the city quite a few times and I discovered something quite amazing. There is this AT rider called the Thorn Queen. I want her to join. She'd be a great addition to the team and it'd even out the guy to chick ratio, which we reaallyy need. Ine is putting that ratio down with her saggy-"

"Hmmm? Thorn Queen?" I whip my head to the doorway where he stood upon registering his words.

Sora smirks "Well she's pretty well suited for the role. She's really a cute girl… and apparently quite famous". "…" _Hmph, he's just out hunting for useless things. _I turn my head back to its original position and continue to program my computer as I sat in silence, unsure of what to say. _When will Sora learn to not do such unnecessary things? -15 points. _

A few minutes went by before I started to notice that he hadn't stopped talking.

Sora moved from the doorway closer to Kilik. Grinning widely he continued. "She's not a gravity child though… she's just a regular girl, but man is she skilled"

_-5 points_. An audible sigh left my mouth and I closed my laptop. "When we left the tower, the stream of ordinary riders that began surfacing was akin to a stampede of gazelles wearing ATs and before we knew it, the things that currently known as the 'Thorn Regalia' and 'Infinity Atmosphere' became common knowledge. A normal rider who doesn't possess 'solid sensitivity' or at least a 'bio-mass gyroscope' will not be able to master the regalia." Stealing a glance at him, I saw that he was still smiling stupidly, dazed. _How moronic… -10 points._

"Are you seriously saying we should add her to the team just because she appears to have obtained similar qualities?" Sora still had that expression on his face. I doubt he's listening to me. That hit a bit of a nerve. "That's complete and utter nonsense! She'd get in the way! You're kidding me, right?"

Sora snapped out of his daydream and turned to face Kilik, still smiling.

"You're just up-tight that you couldn't find a girl for yourself ain't that right Kilik?" I felt my cheeks turn a slight shade of red as his words sunk in. "No that's completely off-topic! I'm concerned with the well-being of this team and the protection of the Wind Regalia; I have no need to be fraternizing with other people, and so should you!" I was breathless and slightly annoyed that he was able to push my buttons so easily. And just when I thought he couldn't smile that smile any bigger, I see the corners of his lips creep closer to the bottom of his eyes. _Bastard._ Just when I was about to open my mouth again, Sora butts in.  
>"You know what? Since I'm in a good mood tonight I'll let you meet her and judge her yourself," wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "Who knows? You might even change your mind eh Kilik?"<p>

"Tcchhh I doubt that. Now will you please remove your arm? You haven't changed those wraps in 5 days and it's starting to smell," grimacing and moving as far away as possible.

An evil look reached his eyes. "Oh has it? Well then I shall use this to my advantage." He grins widely and firmly drapes his arm over my shoulders again "Until you agree to meet up with her I'm gonna follow you around with these wraps and send your senses to hell and back. How's that sound? I don't know about you, but that sounds like fun to me!" I involuntarily winced and a dark expression flew over my face. _Dear god.. knowing him he probably _will_ do all of those things. What should I do? I don't want to waste my time meeting some ordinary human and I don't want to have to smell those rancid wraps for the rest of my life… looks like the bastard got me. _I chuckle inwardly. _+30 points._

"Alright Sora since I have no choice I'll go with you to meet her"

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><strong>sweeeeeet I've finally finished Ch.1 of my dream fiction! I've always wanted to do a Kilik and Rika story and I was quite disappointed that there weren't any to read from on this site. I couldn't resist and had to correct that! <strong>

Citage: Air Gear Manga Ch. 154-155 :)

**Please give some feedback so i may improve on my writing! Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2: Meeting a Goddess on AT's

**Disclaimer: I dont own Air Gear or anything associated with Air Gear. Enjoy my first fan fiction story!  
>-<strong>

_Thunk thunk thunk thunk_.. the sound of shoes hitting the pavement echoed as Sora and I walked towards a large crowd in a closed off area.

_It seems that someone is really causing a racket out here. This can't be the woman Sora was talking about is it? Can a regular girl riding ATs cause that huge of a commotion? There might be something to this girl after all.. +5 points. _

The roar of the crowd vibrated in my ears. The roar grew louder as we walked closer, now seeing a team of AT riders battle a lone figure in the center. Sora stopped a few meters away from the crowd and I followed suit. I glanced sideways at him. _That damn grin of his is so annoying.. what is he so happy about anyway? Is this random and ordinary woman that meaningful to that idiot? -10 points. One day he's gonna—_

"Oh? So you came after all, Sora" My thoughts were interrupted when the silky voice of a woman reached my ears. My eyes left the firm glance directed at Sora and eagerly darted to find the owner of that beautiful voice, almost as if my very soul were drawn to her voice. Oh how it makes my whole body tingle. _What is this unfamiliar feeling? Why is my heart beating so? This feeling is so strange that it scares me… and yet I want more. I want to explore this new feeling that is welling up inside of me. I yearn for it. _My eyes immediately found her. Oh what a beautiful sight it was— "Just give me a moment, this will end soon" the voice called out as its owner leaped gracefully in the air, dodging a kick. Her lush auburn hair swayed in the wind as her back arched towards the sky. Her black leather jacket hugged her slender body and creased with every movement, emphasizing her plentiful curves and her gracefulness. A black cloak-like piece of cloth attached to the jacket trailed her movements so smoothly it appeared to be a part of her very body. _Is it possible that something so grand can exist in this world?_ My cheeks lit up in an instant, turning a nice shade of red as I continued to look on. I felt a slight nudge against my forearm, but I ignored it. Another one, now slightly jabbing, attacked the same spot. Low sounds were coming from something next to me, but I was deaf to the world. I was too mesmerized with the nameless figure in the center of the group of storm riders putting the battle to an end to care about anything else. Slowly, I came back to cruel reality and barely caught Sora's words.

"Well? Isn't she good? How many points? Tell me that at least!" From the way he repeatedly jabbed my arm and the tone of his voice, he was blushing fiercely as well.

"100 points…" I whispered. _Somehow that doesn't seem to be enough…_ I snapped back to reality as a slender figure with elegant hair blowing in the wind slowly skated in our direction. Once I realized that the figure was the same woman I was watching a moment ago, I froze and felt that damned blush flush my face once more.

"Hey Sora. I haven't seen you in a while. What kept you?" She stopped just a few feet away and faced the grinning bastard. "I was beginning to think that something bad had happened to you" she added.

"Ahaha.." Sora laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head with his hand. _-15 points._

Then she noticed that someone else was in the two's presence. She turned to face me. Her eyes widened and stared intensely at me. _God her eyes are about to pierce into my soul. _"Oh? And who are you?"

I cleared my throat and opened my mouth to speak when.. "Oh that dull fellow there is Kilik. Don't mind him too much Rika-chan" I shot him a death glare from the corner of my eye, a slight scowl forming on my face.

"Hello Kilik-san. My name is Rika Noyamano: nice to finally meet you. Sora has told me so much about you" as she bowed. Flustered and feeling another blush appear, I bowed in response. "N-n-nice to meet you too Rika-san." We both immediately stood up straight and were surrounded in silence until "Well now that introductions are out of the way, how about getting a bite to eat? How's that sound Rika-chan?"

"That sounds great! All this fighting nowadays has really made me hungry! Oh! Kilik-san would you like to come with us?"

"I…"

"Actually, Kilik only came out here to see you in person so he probably would want to go back home to do whatever the hell he normally does in that stuffy place," crossing his arms behind his head.

_-30 points. _"No I'm free this evening," I hissed out and turned to face Rika "Rika-san I'd like to join you, if of course you don't mind my being here."

She stood for a minute and stared at me. A sweet smile formed on her lips and her eyes brightened. "No of course not, please join! I'd like to be friends and get to know you better. This is a great opportunity to do so and I'm not gonna let it slip away from my fingers." She giggled. My breath hitched a bit. _She's so cute… +20 points. _I smiled sheepishly and avoided her piercing eyes for a moment. Next to us, Sora was walking towards the street, looking deflated. "Alright fine, let's go get something to eat."

"Yea let's go!" she strode to be next with Sora until she suddenly stopped and turned around. "Are you planning on coming Kilik-san? Come on!" Her small hand reached out towards me and swung it over her head as she tried to make a 'follow me' motion.

My legs couldn't move, but after getting a grip I finally managed to take a step and follow the cruising Rika and the unusually quiet Sora.

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><strong>Phew, finished the second chapter within a few days! Yea! I feel so accomplished~ :)<strong>

Citage: Ch. 154-155

**Please look forward to the next chapters! As always, please review my story to let me know how I'm doing and what I need to improve on! Thank you~**


	3. Chapter 3: Promise

**Disclaimer: I dont own Air Gear or anything associated with Air Gear. Enjoy my first fan fiction story!  
>-<strong>

The three of us were just wandering the streets of Tokyo in silence. We've been walking about for 20 minutes so far and it hasn't gotten us anywhere. Now and then, I see a few people staring at me as they passed. I've noticed that not many seemed to be giving their attention to Rika or Sora. I look down at myself and over to the two and observed their clothing. Sora's t-shirt and capris were quite ordinary. The wraps and the hat and goggles were a bit out of the ordinary, but not that very eye catching. Rika's attire were more flashy and stylish, but nothing that really would draw too much attention. I examined my own clothes again. A paint-white suit complete with dress shoes and tie. Huh. I guess I overdressed. Another passing woman gave me a quick, but questioning glance. ..Yes, I definitely overdressed. _-10 points. _I closed my eyes and sighed to myself.

"Hey let's go in that restaurant on the corner over there! The food here looks delicious!" A moment later, something softly tugged on the sleeve of my suit. That small movement caused my eyes to snap open and find the origin of the movement, instinctively tensing my body and heightening my senses.

I immediately looked down and saw that instead of seeing the rough and callused hand of a possible enemy, in its place were small and unblemished fingers pinching the cloth. It was Rika's hand. Upon realizing this, I looked up from her hand to the side of her face. Her soft, pale face shone brightly along with her fiery auburn hair. A small smile played on her lips as she eagerly walked towards the restaurant. Her small hand released the sleeve of my suit and dropped back down to her side. "Sora-kun, Kilik-san we're almost there!"

_How childish...and yet at the same time…how cute._ I could feel the corner my lips moving upwards on its own. The crosses in my normally harsh and critical eyes softened as I started to replay everything in my mind. As I began to be lost in my thoughts, my feet couldn't move forward anymore and stopped on the spot as we were approaching a crosswalk. Almost as if she sensed that I was acting a bit strange, she turned her head towards me. The first thing that caught my attention was her incredibly warm eyes and I literally felt my heart skip a beat and my breath hitch deep in my throat. In her eyes I detected a feeling of worry and confusion as she looked into mine. "Kilik-san, is something bothering you? You seem a little spaced out and anxious." I couldn't help but look at the bulky items hanging by her side. Her ATs shined brightly in her right hand, hanging with the thick laces tied tightly together.

"Kilik-san? Are you alright?"

"Hmmm? Oh yes I am alright, just a little bit tired, that's all. Thank you for your concern, Rika-san"

"Great! It wouldn't be good if something bad like a cold happened to you" She chirped. "Come on! Let's go!" She bounced off towards a waiting Sora, her jacket creating a lingering black trail. Sora was a few feet away, impatiently waiting with his arms crossed behind his head. For some reason, his face was much sterner than before. Since I decided to tag along with the two to go about the town, I haven't really seen him as the idiotic Sora that I've known him to be. Around him, there seems to be a killer-like aura: ready to attack any offender in sight. How interesting for him to be like that. Maybe I've misjudged him? Can it be that he—no, it can't be. I'm sure that he's just annoyed that I came along instead of going back to the tower. _Huh._ He was looking forward to getting rid of me to be alone with Rika-san ever since she approached us. Too bad that won't come true. At least.. not tonight anyway, I chuckled. He should've accounted me being a factor and as a major hole in his plan. I look towards the two in front. They were happily chatting away as if there wasn't a care in the world. He was standing rather close to her and was slowly moving so closer to her that she was practically right underneath his arm. He didn't make any other movement and instead continued to talk as if everything was completely normal. The two kept walking across the street until—WHACK, "AHHH!" Sora hadn't seen where he was going and hit a telephone pole. "Owww that really hurt" he whined as he rubbed his face.

I scoff. That careless idiot never thinks things through. If he weren't a Gravity Child, I wonder how he'd ever survive in this world. _-25 points._

"Aaahhhh that hit the spot!" Sora exclaimed while rubbing his slightly bulging stomach. "I don't think I can eat another mouthful or else I'd burst!" he added. Two young female students walked by our table while following the waitress. Sora's head slightly tilted to ogle the two as their behinds bounced with each step. "Oooh lucky me! I didn't think I would get a complimentary dessert~" he grinned. _Pervert.._ I placed my hand over my eyes in frustration. However, I felt a disturbing aura somewhere around me and removed my hand from my face. I looked over at the woman in the seat between us. Rika fiercely glared at him and a dangerous aura came from her body. Upon sight, I slightly backed away in my chair and felt a growing sense of uneasiness sweep over my body. So much tension was in the air around our table that I was sure that everyone else around us felt it as well. Sora, unaware of what was going on continued to lean back in his chair and smile foolishly. _Oh how grateful I am that I'm not Sora right now!_

After Sora had paid the waitress with my wallet, we went out into the city once more. We didn't do much. We just explored the city streets and went into a few stores. "Ughhh" Sora whinced. "I think I ate too much. I gotta find a restroom, so wait here" he added as he ran off into a nearby store. On the street corner, I saw something that caught my eye. It was a motorcycle. I couldn't help but stare at the elegant-looking machine for longer than I should have. Shortly after, Rika noticed that I was interested in the motorcycle and stood beside me.

"Oh Kilik-san is interested in motorcycles?" I nodded blankly. She chuckled. "Well if you had money you could have this too! This one in particular is I believe is called the uhh.. Ducati" "Ducati.." I repeated the name slowly, making sure to imprint the name into my brain. "Kilik-san are you planning on buying one of these?" "Mmhmm I've liked motorcycles for quite a while. It's just something different than riding ATs all the time, but it doesn't have as much speed as being on ATs. There is no practical use in buying this." She laughed. "Oh is that so? Kilik-san you're just as practical as Sora said!" At the sound of Sora's name, I whipped my head towards her. "Sora? He—" before I could say another word she interrupted my train of thought with a sudden smile. "Uhh.. umm…I..ahh" I looked down at the ground, unwilling to show my now pink face. The sound of giggling penetrated my ears. I automatically sunk my head even lower. Then something unexpected happened. "Kilik-san, if you ever do buy a Ducati please let me be the first to ride it" Shocked, my eyes widened as I stared at her. "You would want to ride with me?" "Mmhmm! I've never ridden a motorcycle before. ATs were always a part of my life, so I'd like to try it out sometime! And also, what better way to get to know each other than riding about together?" She slightly tilted her head and smiled the smile that made my heart beat faster. At this point, the crosses in my eyes flashed brighter as my eyes grew wider and my mouth slightly agape.

_She… she wants to spend time with me? Is this too good to be true? _The fiery blush on my cheeks was more visible at each passing minute. "So Kilik-san? What do you say?" She stared up into the night sky as her hands were folded neatly with her ATs behind her back. "Will you let me?" "I..I…I'd love to. If I ever get the motorcycle I'll let you know right away!" I said hurriedly. "Do you promise?" she asked. "Y-yea. I promise Rika-san" I stuttered. "That's good to hear! I'm looking forward to it~" At that moment Sora came back from the restroom and was lazily walking towards us. "Oh god I doubt I'd get rid of this pain for the next 2 days.."

"Hey Rika let's go back. It's pretty late now and I bet your sisters are worried about you" He stated as he gently took her ATs from her. "It's getting late for us too, so when I walk you to your house I can't stay for very long." "Oh alright then Sora-kun. Mikan and Ringo wanted to meet you, but I guess that will have to wait for another time." She turned to face me and bowed. "Good night, Kilik-san. I hope you have a safe trip home." As she began walking down the street with Sora, she suddenly turned back towards me and called out "Remember that you promised!" Sora, upon hearing her words swiftly turned his head towards me before continuing to walk to Rika's home. _How dare he look down on me like that? That guy is seriously irritating.. -5 points. _

As soon as the two were out of sight, I began to walk back to the tower. _Aah going around without ATs is so slow and tedious. How does any human being stand to do this every single day? _I stopped walking. _That's right.. these humans don't understand what it's like to be able to fly in the sky. Once you've gotten a taste, surely you'll come back for more. _I chuckled aloud. _It would seem that Rika-san is doing the same to me… truly amazing how badly I want to make her laugh and smile by me when I just met her a few hours ago. Rika-san.. _I looked up into the starry sky. _You probably don't know it, but you've gotten the best of me. +80 points. _I smiled to myself as I continued my road back home. _How wonderful.._

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><strong>I never imagined that I would be able to get this many chapters up within a week! Seriously, I expected at least a month!~ Haha! Hope you enjoyed it! Please review to let me do how I'm doing~<strong>

Citage: Reoccuring dream! :)

**I hope to get another chapter up soon, but I gotta get through my SAT's first! See you then!**


	4. Chapter 4: Returning Home

**Disclaimer: I don't own Air Gear or anything associated with Air Gear. Enjoy my first fan fiction story!  
>-<strong>

It took a while for me to get back to the tower on foot. God it was tiring, especially since the tower is located halfway across Tokyo. I opened the steel door and practically dragged myself across the room. My white suit was wrinkled all over and a little damp, but I didn't quite have the strength to take it off. I sluggishly walked over to the wooden table, sat myself down, and immediately dropped my head to the cool wood. Spitfire, along with a few of the other Sleeping Forest members was reading manga in the room, but upon seeing my state of condition they put down their books and shot questioning glances towards me.

Spitfire was the first to approach me and following right behind him was Ine. "Hey Kilik, what happened to you? You look like you're gonna pass out." He glanced at my clothes. "And you're also dressed way too formal for anything other than a wedding! No wonder you're on the brink of death.." After regaining my breath, I brought my head up to face him. His fiery orange hair stuck up as usual. _How he gets his hair to stick up the entire day without any products is a mystery to me…_ As if reading my thoughts, he chuckled and replied, "It's just a special feature that I have. I don't quite know how myself!" _+10 points. He always had a way of reading my mind. If he and Sora were to both go against me in this type of thing, I wouldn't have a chance!_ One side of my mouth crept upwards at the thought.

"Hmm maybe Kilik's sick. Here, let me check his temperature~" Ine, who was next to Spitfire approached me. She was wearing her usual white nurse-like attire with the top 2 buttons hanging loose. She bent down and reached for my forehead. Her breasts were eye-level and practically in my face. They were coming so close to me that the tip of my nose could almost touch them. Instinctively, I turned my head towards something else, anything that wasn't in her direction! I felt her breasts press up against the side of my head and a cool hand press against the top of my forehead. "It looks like he doesn't have a fever and he's not showing any signs of illness. That's my diagnosis so far, but I'll have to make sure. Kilik, please remove your shirt and lay down on the couch"

When I heard this, my body immediately stiffened. Spitfire saw this and was smirking in his seat. Ine was known for being quite the inappropriate doctor. Just looking at the way she wore her clothes, it's quite obvious. However, she did sometimes get extremely close to her patient, whoever the person was. I winced. "Ine it's alright. I'm fine. I'm not sick or anything, just tired." "Nonsense! We can't have the brainiest member of Sleeping Forest be defeated by something so menial! You must be checked!" she called out as she stepped towards the couch. "Dontores! Get out here and make yourself useful for once! Carry Kilik to the couch for immediate treatment!" _Oh god, I know this isn't going to end well for me…I should just stay over at a motel for tonight._

A powerful voice rang from somewhere in the room. "Ine, Kilik is capable of walking to the couch himself. I don't need to do something so unnecessary.." Just then, powerful arms encircled my waist and lifted me off my chair and dumped me onto the couch. "Oomph!" Before I could identify who the assailant was, Ine was sitting on my stomach with her large, black doctor bag hanging off her forearm. "Sorry about this sir, but this check-up is for your own good" Her slender fingers undid my suit buttons before I could even utter a word of protest. As soon as the buttons were out of the way, she grabbed the hem of my dress shirt that was tucked neatly under the rim of my pants and pulled it out, swiftly placing her stethoscope on my chest. My body shivered to the touch of the cold medical instrument. "Ine! This is completely unnecessary! I told you before that I was fine! Stop this nonsense right now!" I looked around the room to find someone to stop Ine, but as I looked I saw their smirking faces. _They find this entertaining? -30 points! _I practically yelled in my head. _As soon as I get out of this, I'll get my revenge! _"Sir.." I turned my head back. The black stethoscope was still in its place with the ends in her ears, but Ine's face seemed to be closer than before. She laid her chest down on mine and stared deeply into my eyes. "I cannot give a proper diagnosis unless you stop moving." I complied and was still until the diagnosis was finished, still planning to get revenge on everyone. _Bastards.._

"Well good news! Kilik is perfectly healthy!" Ine exclaimed as she got off my stomach and put her stethoscope away. Spitfire calmly walked over and offered me a hand. I took his offer and got up on my feet, glaring fiercely at everyone. They felt that they were being targeted and ran off in every direction to avoid my wrath. Spitfire and Ine were the only ones left. They were once again side by side, smiling at me.

Ine was the first to speak. "So now that everyone is gone, we can finally ask you about your evening outside with Sora and Rika-chan" Spitfire added on to her comment. "We thought that you'd be more comfortable talking when there was a lot less people around. Looks like we were right~" I stood there in shock. _All of that was just an act to get everyone to leave? How did they even know that I was out with them? _"How did -" Spitfire butted in, "Sora told us before you two left. He said he was planning on getting her to join the team, but had to get your consent first or else his ass would be hanging from the top of the tower~" The two laughed. "Ah Sora really is a colorful character, isn't he?" Ine commented. "Anyway, we were wondering if you were considering about adding her."

My eyes widened. I had completely forgotten about why I had agreed to go with Sora to meet her in the first place. Now I have to decide on whether adding her would be beneficial to the team or end up hurting it. Seeing her skills tonight was a great help, since I knew she was able to defend herself and pull her own weight. _And plus.. I would be able to see her more often. _Beginning to like the idea, I didn't realize that my face was beginning to turn pink. Apparently, those two saw it and glanced at each other, mentally questioning my strange facial expression. Remembering that I wasn't the only one in the room, I snapped out of my daydream. I straightened out the collar of my suit and squared up my shoulders. Looking firmly in their eyes, I stated confidently, "I've decided to let Rika-san join Sleeping Forest".

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><strong>Two chapters in a row, alright! :) compared to the previous chapter, this one is rather short, but I promise that I'll make the next one longer! Looking back at the previous chapters, I realized that I made a few grammatical errors! Oh my.. I feel so ashamed as a writer.. haha~<strong>

**Like always, please review! Until the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5: Failed Lunch Gathering

**Disclaimer: I don't own Air Gear or anything associated with Air Gear. Enjoy my first fan fiction story!  
>-<strong>

I tossed and turned for a while in my futon. I rolled over to face the alarm clock. 3:38 am. "Urghhh" I pulled out the pillow from under my head and placed it over my face. "Why can't I sleep? I haven't eaten anything since the restaurant, but that was over 2 hours ago! What is the reason why I am being tortured like this?" A small voice in the back of my mind softly called out. _Rika_ it said. It had uttered only a single word, but the word had such a powerful effect that my eyes flew right open. "Rika.." I repeated. I kept repeating her name over and over again, rolling it off my tongue like a ball. I sighed aloud. "Tomorrow is the day when Rika-san will come to the tower to be a permanent member of Sleeping Forest. Perhaps that's why I can't get any sleep." About an hour ago, after retreating into my room, Sora appeared in the doorway. The sound of the door opening instantly woke me up and left me squinting at Sora, who had turned on the lights. _-20 points._

"Hey" he said.

"..Hey" I replied groggily.

"So it looks like you and Rika got along quite well, wouldn't you say? Of course, who wouldn't be? She's amazing!" He laughed. Although he seemed to be joking, I sensed an underlying tone of tension and something else I couldn't identify. It resembled jealousy and disdain. _Jealousy? Disdain? Do those feelings even exist to that idiot? Rika-san must mean quite a lot to him for him to be acting like this, bursting into my room without consent or reason. _

"I actually wanted to tell you something. Do you mind?" He had strolled over to my oak desk, twirled the chair around, and sat down before I could protest. "So.. you're planning on adding Rika to the team isn't that right?" Sensing that he wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, I threw the covers off and planted my feet on the cold floor. "Yes, I'm planning to do so. Why? Didn't you want that in the first place? Isn't that why you approached me and brought the topic up?"

He grinned widely. "Of course! But I didn't think it'd be that easy to convince you~ Who knew it would take a woman to sway the great stoic Kilik eh?" I groaned." -10 points". "It's not like that, you idiot. I saw that she has great potential and wouldn't be getting in the way if we were to defend the Wind Regalia against other storm riders. I used my judgment based solely on those criteria, nothing more nothing less."

He placed his arms on the back of the seat and leaned on them, waiting for something else from me. _I don't know what else that careless idiot wants more out of me. It's not like I really have something to offer him.._ I broke the silence. "I doubt that was all you wanted to talk about. What is it now?" "Hmm? Why would you suspect that I have something else to say? Did you misjudge me that much? 'Cause you know Kilik, even though my handsome face is unfamiliar to sadness, my feelings can be hurt too. In fact-" I cut him off. "I know 'cause you always have something to say, this being no exception. Also, your face says it all."

He grinned again "Oh the great Kilik knows me well~ just when I thought I could finally pull the wool over your eyes, you bounce back. So like you to do so eh? Who else would be able to do the same? No one I suppose! No one except for me, Sora Takeuchi!"

I sighed. "-10 points".I was getting tired of his meaningless conversations. Frustrated, my words had an annoyed tone underneath. "Just come out with it!"

"Alright alright I'll get down to it." He raised his left hand up to his face and cupped the side of his face. "I took the liberty of organizing a welcoming party for Rika. She'll be coming to the tower tomorrow night." Sora smirked.

"What did you say?" I couldn't move. I never thought that she was going to become a member so quickly. "The other members haven't even met her. It'll take some time to be familiar with her and accept her as an official part of the team…"

"Oh no worries about that! I already had her meet them when I asked her to become a member!" Sora bursted. That damned grin of his is seriously becoming annoying…

"Don't you think you're rushing things Sora? I mean, she was just accepted a few hours ago and coming to a place like this would probably be too much for her..." "AHAHHA!" Sora bellowed. "Ah Kilik, you don't realize how tough she really is… ahaha… but I kinda figured you would say something like this so I arranged for us to all gather in her home before coming to stay with us. Pretty smart huh?" "Idiot.." Although I do have to admit, this is a pretty clever and well thought out plan, especially coming from him. _+25 points._ _This is one of those rare times that Sora actually uses his brain instead of his gut. He should use it more often. Maybe then he wouldn't get into so much stupid situations.._

"Man I can't wait to see her again, I can't wait! Her boobs would probably be bouncing in joy when she sees me~ hahahah" He added to his perverted comment by emphasizing with his hands how big her breasts were. I could feel a vein appear in my forehead and I had a sudden urge to teach him a lesson. However, before I could even stand up he rushed out of the room and headed towards his own. "So remember Kilik to dress up! It doesn't have to be that stuffy suit you wore today, but just something nice ok?" he managed to squeeze in as the steel door slowly closed behind him. Before the door fully shut, I saw a glimpse of Sora doing some kind of salute before running off. I sighed. "That idiot is intentionally trying to give me more things to worry about. How can he be so reckless and organize a welcome party without anyone's consent? -15 points."

-  
>So that's why I keep tossing and turning in my bed. I guess I can say that I'm nervous in meeting Rika-san again and have to attend an unnecessary party as well as host Rika-san's initiation requirement. "Aurgghh" I groaned into my pillow. Sighing, I tossed the pillow aside and began to stare at the ceiling. "No point in complaining about it now. Once Sora sets his mind on something, he would do whatever it takes to accomplish it. That's just how stubborn this guy is.." After more tossing and turning, I finally fell asleep, only to awaken a few hours later to the screeching sound of metal crashing against each other and Sora's loud voice ringing in my ears. I curled up more in my blankets, hoping to avoid the unwelcoming sounds from the other side of the door.<p>

"Wakey wakey you lazy bastards! It's almost noon and lunch is almost ready! Prepare yourselves for the best night of your lives! We are going to visit our newest member, Rika Noyamano, the Thorn Queen in her home and have her come to this stuffy old tower to live with us! It's time for you to get your asses out here pronto!"

My eyes opened about a millimeter, just enough to see general shapes. _He's getting pretty excited so early in the day. It's far from the time to actually visit her. -5 points. _One by one, the members awakened and sluggishly dragged their half-asleep bodies towards the origin of the rambunctious sound. Each member had a certain way of carrying themselves, which made the sound of shuffling feet and groans easier to distinguish. Black Burn, the Thunder King's movement resembled those of a drunkard. Bang! _Black Burn had bumped into something again. -5 points. _Falco, the Fang King seemed to walk at the same pace as a zombie with a missing leg. Hell, he even _sounded_ like a zombie. Ine's movements were quite soft, barely making a sound. _I guess she's used to being in such quiet places all the time, she adapted to it._ The only way to distinguish her was the sound of her incoherent mumbling. Spitfire's footsteps were more solid and somewhat clumsy, going in one direction for a minute and heading somewhere else in another. Dontores, the Rumble King was the easiest to tell. His naturally thundering steps overpower those of everyone else. His yawn resembled a lion's roar, fitting to his name.

I heard the scraping of chairs as they were pulled out and the muffled sound of voices. I still remained under my blankets, attempting to return to sweet slumber, but that hope died almost instantly. The steel door to my room flew open, revealing a smiling Sora still wearing the same clothes as last night. _He hasn't changed his clothes or his wraps. Such poor hygiene! _"-5 points" I muttered. "Hmmm? Minus points for what?" He questioned. "Anyway, Kilik, get your lazy ass out of this room and join us for lunch! I especially made it myself~" he stated proudly.

"Leave me alone Sora, you've bothered me enough. Because of you, I lost hours of my sleep to function properly" I replied bitterly. "Aw don't be such a wimp Kilik" he retorted. "You're supposed to be the Gem King! Now get up and clean yourself up! We're waiting on you! And besides! You wouldn't want Rika to see you like this when she lives here, would you?" he cheerfully added as he skipped out the door. I groaned, but forced myself to get out of bed. "Damn it Sora…"

-  
>Lunch was especially quiet today. Nearly everyone, excluding Sora and I were still brain-dead and was about to fall asleep again at the table. Sora's hideous cooking didn't help either. I looked around. No one was really eating. Dontores would occasionally move the unidentifiable food around his plate, but not eat even a single bite. I wouldn't blame him. Spitefire, who was sitting next to me nearly face-planted the food, trying hard to stay awake. Sora was happily eating some burnt glob of fish while eagerly downing his bowl of rice. I looked down at my own food. Only a few items I could barely identify. The rest was too abnormal to even acknowledge. On my plate was a burnt piece of salmon, soaked seaweed wraps covered in wasabi, and a clump of vegetables along with scoops of some gelatinous glob. I grimaced. <em>-30 points.<em> "Is this food even edible?" I asked the still eating Sora.

He was still chewing with a full mouth when he put down his bowl, his speech hard to understand. "Of coursh! Its mah best work yet! Jast watch an' see ya stiff! At leasht show some gwatitude that I took da time cooking all dis!" He returned to stuffing his face, not realizing that no one else was eating.

I stood up. "I'm going back to bed. I doubt anything is going to happen today, so just wake me up a few hours before we leave for Rika-san's home." As I retreated back into my room, I heard the familiar shuffling of feet search for their own beds. "Hey where are you guys going?" Sora called out to them. It was useless. They were dead to the world and only concentrated on returning to their beds to meet sleep once again. Several doors slammed shut and everything was silent, except for the loud storm rider left behind in the kitchen. "Screw you guys! I can have a great time without you! And you know what? I plan to do that right now!" The sound of his ATs faded quickly as he left the tower and went out into the city.

I let out a sigh of relief. "Finally, we can all have some peace and quiet for once." I closed my eyes and went into a deep slumber.

-  
><strong>Oh gosh I think I'm seriously addicted to writing these stories now. 5 chapters within a week! As promised, I made this chapter longer than the last one to even it out~ ;)<strong>

**If you have been reading my footnotes until now, you know the drill! Happy reading~**


	6. Chapter 6: Part I

**Disclaimer: I don't own Air Gear or anything associated with Air Gear. Enjoy my first fan fiction story!  
>-<strong>

I was on my ATs and riding on the rooftops of Tokyo. It felt good to just go out for a run sometimes. For some reason, the air tonight seemed peaceful. The sky was dark and the moon looked beautiful. It was big and pure, no sign of a battle to taint its natural beauty. Suddenly a shadow on ATs brushed passed me. The only thing I could make out was a long black trail that followed the rider. I tailed the mysterious rider until finally, the person landed on a rooftop and turned to face me. _This person looks familiar. Where have I seen him before?_ I landed onto a nearby rooftop. The moonlight gradually moved towards the rider, revealing a female face. Her eyes were closed as if she was asleep. _It's a woman? Wait, it's—_"Rika!" I yelled.

As I called out her name, her eyes slowly opened and gazed upon me. Even from a distance I could see her bright green eyes shimmer in the moon's rays. I jumped from rooftop to rooftop to get to her. She stood still as if she was waiting for me to come to her. Shortly, I reached the rooftop where she stood and approached her. Upon inspection, I noticed that her clothes were worn out and ripped in certain areas. _Those rips look fresh. She's been battling recently._ "Rika what are you doing out here by yourself? You shouldn't be doing such unnecessary things! Something could've happened to you—" Without warning, she slid towards me and wrapped her arms around my neck into an embrace.

I froze on the spot. Unfamiliar to this type of situation, I didn't know how to react. The next thing I knew, Rika whispered into my ear. "Thank you Kilik for taking care of me. I'll never forget you." I panicked a little. "Forget me? What do you mean by that? Are you leaving us?"

She pulled back her head to look at me. Our faces were only a few inches apart. I could feel her breath against my lips. She shook her head. "I can't say where I'm going, but yes I'm leaving." She looked deeply into my eyes. "I'd like to create one last memory before I go." "_One last memory…before I go"_. Her words rang in my ears. "Rika please don't go. We need you" I pleaded her.

"I'm sorry Kilik, but I am needed somewhere else. I can't deny their call for help when they need it." I felt my heart drop. _She's really leaving.._.

Rika pulled me back into the crook between her head and shoulders. My body stiffened at her sudden movement, but shortly relaxed. I slid one of my hands on her lower back and the other behind her head and pulled her deeper into the embrace, not wanting to let go. "Rika, if you truly want to go, I won't stop you. I wish you the best of luck and hope you find happiness."

She pulled away. "Let's go" she stated before dashing off. I nodded and followed her. The atmosphere was quite peaceful and reassuring. Instead of talking, we let our run do it all. Our paths entwined and twisted, finally ending with a bang. We headed towards a ledge and both leaped into the air, letting the wind carry us.

We were in the air for only a moment or two, but it seemed like forever. I looked up at the woman suspended above me. She looked down and smiled sweetly. I smiled back and grabbed hold of her out-stretched hand. The moon shined brightly behind us as we slowly descended. She really was beautiful.

"This is our last memory" she whispered. "I just regret that I wasn't able to do this more with you. Since I met you, I wanted to say that I—"

-  
>CRASH! The sound broke my dream and startled me. A voice followed. "Look at what you did you clumsy oaf!" The voice belonged to Black Burn.<p>

"Me? Crazy bastard, that was your fault! Who in their right mind would be drinking at this hour, right before we leave?" Falco retorted.

"Leave?" I spun my head to the alarm clock by my bed. 6.43 pm. Remembering tonight's plans, I leaped out of bed, swung the door open, and ran to the living room, surprising everyone inside.

"Ah look who it is. He finally awoke. Just in time too!" Sora smugly said. "Hey Sleeping Beauty, you've got about 20 minutes before we set off~ better get ready!"

"How come no one tried to wake me up? -40 points!" I shot a glance at the comfortably sitting Sora.

He shrugged. "I thought it would've been bothersome to wake you up, especially since you were dead-tired this morning. I thought I'd let you sleep longer. Is this how you repay your bestest friend for doing a good deed, Kilik?" he joked. Even if he was joking, it was still annoying. _-15 points._

"We will discuss this later. Right now I'm going to prepare." I strode back inside and shut the door. As soon as the lock sounded, I immediately went through my wardrobe. Before I had stormed out of the living room, I noticed that everyone was wearing their battle uniforms. I didn't want to overdress again so I hurriedly searched for my own. In the back of my closet, sealed in a vinyl cover was my uniform. I unzipped it and spread it on my bed. I quickly replaced my clothes with a white t-shirt and jeans before putting on the uniform.

I pulled down the front, revealing a large yellow cross that nearly reached to the hem of the garb. I stepped out of my room and into the room where everyone was waiting. I looked around and found that everyone was awkwardly smiling. "What are you guys smiling about?" I asked.

Falco tried to stifle his laughter. "You… you look so serious and your hair is so crazy!" Dontores threw me a small mirror to look for myself. He was right. My white hair stuck out in all directions. It was so contradicting with my normally serious face that it looked increasingly ridiculous the longer I stared at my reflection. _-5 points._

As if on cue, Ine threw a brush towards me. I caught it in a flash and began working on taming my hair.

The room roared in laughter. _-5 points. _I felt a slight blush invade my cheeks. My hair refused to go down and defiantly remained upright. Spitfire broke in. "Let's just go. It's gonna take forever for his hair to go down and we don't wanna keep Miss Noyamano waiting."

Everyone agreed and one by one went out into the city. Sora and I were the last ones to go. We rode side by side to Rika-san's home, silent for the entire trip over.

-  
>When we finally arrived, Rika opened the front door, welcoming us inside. She was already wearing her battle uniform. Stepping inside, my eyes wandered the house's interior. There was a cozy and warm feeling about, something that didn't exist in the tower. It had the presence of a loving family. As I entered the living room, a rough, childish voice penetrated my ears.<p>

"Rika Neesan! There's a strange man in white here! Do I show him out?" The sound of a fist hitting a palm quickly followed.

I looked down and saw a light pink-haired teen with crossed arms and was pouting at me. She had short hair that was adorned with multiple-colored hair clips and wore a thick yellow hoodie with black shorts. Rika called out from another room. "Mikan be welcoming to them, they're friends of mine. Don't do anything stupid!"

"Hmph! Fine I'll do it." She stretched out her hand to me. "Hi my name is Mikan Noyamano and I'm the second eldest sister." Surprised at her sudden introduction, I shook her hand. "Hello Mikan. My name is Kilik."

She paused for a minute and a concentrated look crossed her face. "Kilik? You're the guy that Rika Neesan mentioned? The King of the Gem Road or whatever, am I right?"

"Umm yes I am him. Uhh so Mikan, how are you today?"

She shrugged "More or less the same as every other day" she stated nonchalantly as she crossed her arms behind her head. At that moment a small child came stumbling into the room dragging a rag doll along with her. Her thumb was lodged inside her mouth and her eyes stared widely at me.

"Come on Ume, let's go play upstairs. These people here are friends of Rika Neesan." Mikan crossed the room and picked the small child up. She turned back to me. "This here is Ume Noyamano, the youngest. My younger sister will come down soon to greet you, so don't freak out."

"Uhh yes, I look forward to meeting her."

"Hey Ringo! Come here for a sec!" her voice bellowed. A voice called out in response from somewhere in the house. "I'm coming, Mikan neesan!" The soft pattering of the child came closer until a little girl with long red hair in pigtails and glasses came into the room. She wore a simple blue long-sleeved shirt and a white knee-length skirt. She came up to me and immediately extended her hand. "Hi I'm Ringo Noyamano, the third eldest sister. My brother doesn't want to come down, so I will apologize for him." _This little girl has such nice manners. She seems to be the rational and practical type. She's also pretty cute. _I smiled, bent down on one knee and shook her hand.

"It's alright if he doesn't want to come down. We won't be here for too long anyway. Nice to meet you Ringo, I'm Kilik." Her blue eyes shone brightly underneath her glasses and her silly smile reminded me of when the Sleeping Forest and I first saw the sky. That was such a long time ago and yet I remember it as if it was yesterday…

"Kilik-san! Mikan! Ringo! Get some food or else it'll all be gone! I'm not cooking anything else!"

I stood up and started to walk towards the noisy room. I only took a step before I felt a small hand wrap around my fingers. Startled, I looked down and saw a smiling Ringo look up at me. Standing right behind was Mikan carrying Ume in her arms. "Oi Gem King can you move it along? We gotta eat before nothing is left."

"Oh right. I apologize." I continued walking while Ringo was still clutching my fingers.  
>-<p>

"Oh there they are! Come sit over here." Rika pointed to the empty seats beside her.

"Rika Neesan?" Ringo called.

"Yes Ringo? What is it?"

"If Ikki isn't coming down, how will he eat his dinner?" she asked. _She's so caring. +10 points._

"I've already prepared something else for him" she replied while pointing to an isolated bowl with rice and 2 pieces of cooked fish.

"Neesan is it alright if I bring it upstairs to him?"

"Are you planning on going upstairs to eat with him?"

"Mm. I don't want him to be all alone so I will be there with him!"

Rika closed her eyes and scratched her head. "Ok Ringo you can go, but take your dinner with you and don't you dare let Ikki take your food!"

Ecstatic, Ringo let go of my hand and bowed to her before taking their dinner upstairs. I smiled as I watched her. _I bet that boy doesn't realize how fortunate he is to have somebody like that to care about him._ Rika's voice broke my thoughts.

"Kilik-san please eat! I don't want to let you starve, especially in my own home when I'm about to be initiated as a member of the great Sleeping Forest." She laughed heartily.

Mikan and Ume had taken their seats. Mikan had occupied the seat next to her with her outstretched legs while Ume was sitting comfortably in her lap. Ume's rag doll took her own seat. The only seat available was the one next to Rika.

I shuffled to my seat. I noticed that Sora was in the seat beside her as well. He was laughing loudly and was making a fool out of himself as usual. Ine and Spitfire were on the far end of the table eating peacefully. Falco was absentmindedly eating his stew while his eyes occasionally eyed Ine's and Rika's breasts. _God, he and Sora are seriously the biggest perverts I will ever know in my life._ I closed my eyes to ease my frustration. Black Burn was at this point pretty sober, but his speech was still a bit slurred. He talked as usual, even though no one could really understand him. Dontores was on the other far side of the table, noisily eating the prepared food. Once in a while, he would look up from the bowl and eye her. A small, almost undetectable blush would appear on his face and he would continue eating again.

I stared blankly at Dontores. _He's acting strange tonight. Is it possible that he is also my love-rival?_

The sound of a plate setting down interrupted my thoughts. .I looked over and saw that there was a plate full of delicacies in front of me. The food was pretty simple, but compared to Sora's atrocious cooking skills, this was like heaven. Realizing who had put the plate of food there, I turned my head to face her.

She saw me looking at her and smiled in return. "Eat up!" she said cheerfully before returning to her conversation with Sora.

"So Sora, I heard that you have a twin brother. How come he isn't with you?"

Sora chuckled. "Well dear, he is in America. Frankly, no one really knows what he's doing over there right now, but it seems to be going well. He wrote to me once that he was planning on becoming an AT trainer in Los Angeles. I don't know if it became successful or not 'cause he hasn't sent a letter to me since!"

"Oh that's an interesting choice of career! I never knew that ATs existed in America too! I bet it's more difficult in America!" She exclaimed.

"Ahaha of course, of course!~" He jutted his chin towards the ceiling. I could tell that his ego was greatly inflated. I sighed out loud in frustration and continued to eat my dinner. "-15 points."

"Hmm? What was that Kilik-san?"

"Oh that's just his point-system. No one really knows how he judges people, 'cause he has some weird and random variables that determine the score of your action. Isn't it weird?" I shot a death glare at him and in response he flashed his famous grin.

"No, I don't think it's weird at all! In fact, I think it's pretty interesting. It sorta tells me more about Kilik-san's character." Surprised, I spun to face her.

"What?"

"Kilik, don't say 'what' to a lady like that! Where are your manners that you always enforce on me?" he joked.

"As if you can say anything Sora.." I spat.

Spitfire intervened. "There there guys, now's not the time to be fighting. We'll have to administer Miss Noyamano's initiation test pretty soon!" We stopped for a moment, until Sora decided to start something again.

With a sly smirk on his face, he turned to me. "Hey Kilik, how would you rate Rika's food?" Everyone in the room stopped everything and stared at me, waiting for a response.

"Umm… uhhh…95 points" I felt my damned blush turn bright red and continued eating. Silence followed, everyone unsure of what to do, until Rika broke in.

"Really? 95 points? That's too generous! Thanks Kilik-san~ Hahaha.." She sheepishly scratched the back of her neck. Everyone let out an audible sigh of relief and carried on with their previous activities. I stared angrily into my bowl of rice as I ate from it. _Sora you're gonna die soon…_

-  
>After dinner, we helped Rika clean up and decided to lounge around for a while before starting the test. It was time for the Noyamano kids to go to bed, so Rika had to go up to make sure they were in bed.<p>

"Kilik-san would you lend me a hand? I would ask Sora to do it, but he's nowhere in sight." She called from the banister.

I stood up from the floor and went up to the kids' room. Mikan was helping Rika prepare Ume for bed while I was assigned to Ikki's room.

The boy is seriously like a crow, hence his name. He refused to go to sleep and was constantly jumping up and down in his bed, trying to fly. His pet crow, Kuu was nestled safely in the spiked thicket of his hair. A moment later, his footing on the bed slipped and he landed headfirst on the floor. "Ughhhh…" Drool was trickling down the side of his mouth as he was close to being knocked out.

I shook my head in amusement. "You know, that's what you get for being so reckless." I picked the small boy up and tucked him into bed.

"Good night, Crow. I hope to see you again, perhaps when you're old enough to become a storm rider and enter our world."

I gently closed the door behind me and went into my next assigned room. By the time I entered the little girl's room, Rika was already tucking her in and telling her a story.

Rika was telling her a story of one of her AT battles and how riders must abide by the rules. I stood in the doorway, listening in. As soon as she finished, she hugged Ringo good night and walked towards me.

"Come on, let's go." She motioned for me to follow her downstairs.

"It's time to test if you are truly qualified to become an official member of Sleeping Forest Rika Noyamano" Falco stated. She nodded in response and headed out the door along with the rest of the team. Sora was still nowhere in sight.

"The game is Dash. You must choose an opponent out of our team, excluding Ine and verse him in a race to the Sleeping Forest tower on the other side of the city. The rest is to follow and stop you from succeeding as much as possible" I explained.

"Do you understand?" I asked.

"Yes, I understand." She replied.

"Who is your opponent?"

"My opponent is…him" She pointed at the figure beside Black Burn. The figure stepped forward and his identity was revealed. I recognized him immediately. "Nice of you to finally show up, Sora. -10 points."

"Oh come on, I had to find a bathroom since the toilet in Rika's house was already occupied! Do you know how difficult it was?" he complained. He suddenly turned quiet.

"I'll save the chitchat for later… let's get this started!" he exclaimed. Before we were about to start, something tugged at Rika's uniform. We all turned to see what it was. The two Noyamano sisters and Crow were right behind her!

"Rika Neesan, do your best!" Ringo smiled

"Yea! You can do it Sis!" Ikki replied.

Mikan smirked. "Kick their asses, will ya?"

Touched, Rika smiled and then nodded before leaping into the sky with the team trailing after her.

The race has begun.

**This is the longest chapter yet! 3,500+ words! :O**

**Anyway, how will Rika do during her trial? Will she be able to be accepted? Read on to find out!**

Citage: None :)

**You know the drill! R&R please!~**


	7. Chapter 7: Part II

**Disclaimer: I don't own Air Gear or anything associated with Air Gear. Enjoy my first fan fiction story!  
>-<strong>

Once Rika left the ground, the race had started. Right now she is about 4 meters away from Sora, who was currently in the lead. Everyone else was closely behind the two, but no one made any form of movement to try to stop her. _I guess they're waiting for someone else to make the first move before doing something themselves… this type of strategy is inefficient. _"-15 points" I muttered to myself. I was in the back of the pack, not too far from the rest and not too close to be in the way.

I had no intention of trying to stop Rika. I was more interested in observing her combat skills. Those were more important than stopping her from winning a race.

_Rrrrrrr! Whoosh! Rrr!_ The sound of ATs hitting the tiles of the rooftops echoed in the night. The clanking and whirring were in harmony, almost like an orchestra.

We leaped from rooftop to rooftop, keeping a close distance between the leaders, the air tense and the night was still, save for the team of storm riders tailing two others.

_In 5 seconds, someone is going to attack. Right about… now!_ True to my timing, Sora sped up for a couple meters, lunged into the air, spun in the air, and swung a swift kick towards the side of her head. Quickly seeing him, Rika nimbly dodged the kick and took the chance to get a lead.

_Impressive.. not many can avoid Sora's hook kick that easily… +10 points._

The night was no longer still. After Sora initiated the first attack, it was no longer a race. It gradually became a jumbled battlefield with the team constantly trying to avert Rika from succeeding. For a while, the team only attempted to trip her up and knock her off course. Occasionally, a more serious attack would target her, but none of them connected. Rika's agility and flexibility surpassed their own.

I was still in the back observing. I happened to notice that Falco and Black Burn both nodded at each other before dashing in opposite directions. _Oh?_

The two had disappeared into the air, but then reappeared once again several feet in front of the leaders. Without a second more, the two charged at Rika, gaining a great amount of speed even within the small distance. _RRRRrrr_!

Their wheels practically created a runway of sparks. Then suddenly Spitfire appeared behind them and released a wave of fire. Falco and Black Burn immediately created one last spark before parting ways, letting Spitfire's flame eat up the sparks and grow rapidly. With the aid of the duo's sparks, the flame grew tenfold, engulfing everything in its path.

Rika quickly bent down and pushed herself into the sky above the flames with Sora right behind her. She swiftly glided past the wall of fire and landed onto a stone pillar before launching herself like a cannon ball, destroying it as to prevent Sora from doing the same. Dontores, who at the time was merely inches behind Rika, had caught sight of the approaching flame in just the nick of time, for when he veered off the course the wall immediately roared passed him. Safely in the back, I saw the incoming wall long before and merely stepped off onto the side before continuing the pursuit. I smiled. _She has great reflexes and knows how to use her surroundings well. She'll make an excellent addition to Sleeping Forest. _

"RAAWWRHH!" The roar was not that far away. The monstrous call came from the fallen Dontores. Dontores, who had quickly recovered broke off a large piece of concrete and threw it towards Rika. I watched as the block soared above me and towards the targeted rider, calculating its projectile and where it would land. _He has no intention of really hurting her._ I smirked. _Hmph. He was_ _only trying to block her._

As Dontores had hoped, the huge concrete block did stop Rika. But that was only for a moment. It wasn't long before Rika regained her senses and nimbly leaped over the obstacle like a hurdle. Behind her, the concrete block exploded into thousands of pieces. Falco immediately destroyed the block with his a fang instead of jumping over it like everyone else.

Sora was still behind Rika at the moment, but that didn't last long either. In a blink of an eye, he launched himself high into the air and released a powerful wind from his ATs.

"Aahhh!" Rika, not catching sight of it in time was blown backwards and Falco was coincidentally met with the force of her impact and of Sora's wind. "Oof!" the two cried out as they crashed onto the ground. Spitfire, who had dodged it by a small margin turned towards the landing Sora.

"Hey Sora, you bastard, watch it next time!"

"Sorry Spitfire it couldn't be helped~" Sora replied as he flashed a grin. _Willing to go to such lengths during a trial run? Disgraceful.. -25 points!_ I shook my head and looked to the two fallen storm riders who were still on the ground.

"Urghhh" Rika moaned as she sat up as she held her head. "Are you alright?" she asked to the fallen man.

Rika, who had forgotten that she was still sitting on him, didn't notice that his hand was uncomfortably close to her hip. He slowly sat up, shifting Rika's body so she would be sitting on his lap. "Mmm I will be…" he slurred as he eyed Rika's chest. The wind had caused a rip in Rika's uniform, partially exposing her breasts but in all created a more arousing image.

"Hm?" Rika looked to where he was staring at and turned bright red. "Aah! Noo!" She yelled out as she fiercely kicked him in the face, sending him flying to the farthest corner. "Ohhhh.." Falco's groan was audible to even the farthest Sleeping Forest Member.

I stood on the edge of the roof directly above them. I saw everything that took place and felt a vein in my forehead pop out. "…-25 points! I'll surely punish Falco another time…" I said, slightly clenching my fist while trying to stop my nosebleed with the other. The bleeding stopped quickly and I wiped the excess with the sleeve of my uniform. I cleared my throat.

"Rika-san" I called out.

She instantly looked up. "Oh Kilik-san, were you there the entire time?" she asked suspiciously.

"Whether I was or not is not important right now. Right now you should at least finish your race" I calmly suggested.

"Whaa…?" She asked, still confused on what was going on.

"Miss Noyamano" Spitfire called from somewhere nearby.

"Spitfire-san is that you?" Rika spun to face where the voice was coming from. I looked behind me and saw that everyone was leisurely standing on the rooftops, waiting for Rika to reappear.

"Yes it's me. Miss Noyamano you do remember that you're still participating in the trial run right?" He reminded her.

"Oh! Oh that's right! I'll be right there!" she lunged onto my rooftop and landed right beside me, realizing that everyone was waiting for her. She briefly smiled at us and took off once again. I felt a sudden urge to participate in the trial run. I wasn't sure how or why, but I just wanted to.

I raced off behind Rika, gradually closing in on her. "Hiyaa!" Noticing that I was about to overtake her, she twirled around and released a mighty kick. Fortunately, I had blocked it with my left arm and pushed it aside, causing her to momentarily lose her balance. In that short time, I dashed towards her and was about to lead her off the course. A second before I made contact with her, a slender leg came flying straight towards my head. I barely dodged it, but then I didn't see her other leg follow right behind the first. "Ughhh!" Her second attack connected against my cheek, stunning me for a second. In that time, she pulled away and used the opportunity to escape. She rode at lightning speed, passing everyone until she was neck and neck with Sora.

Where she had kicked me was throbbing, but I ignored it and decided to go after them. _This is no time to be worrying over such a small injury!_ A sudden burst of momentum fueled my ATs and I was right behind them in an instant.

Rika was fiercely battling to break away from Sora, but he wouldn't let her. Whenever she would advance a foot, he would do the same, not letting her get ahead of him by even one millimeter. I was right behind them and was just about to attack, when out of nowhere multiple black wires darted past my eyes. The mechanical whooshing sound rushed into my ears as the wires shot past.

The owner of the diamond-tough wires was Black Burn. I recognized the wires immediately and carefully calculated the wires' destination. Just from the way he arranged the wires, I could tell that he was planning on trapping Rika.

Not wanting to get trapped into Black Burn's net as well, I jumped onto a nearby rooftop before continuing to pursue the leaders. I glanced sideways and saw Sora. I knew that he saw the net as well, but instead of commencing with his initial plan of squeezing himself through the gaps, he leaped above it, looking back in hope of Rika doing the same. It didn't seem like she would. Rika was still going at full speed. _She doesn't see it? _I began to get a little agitated. _If she doesn't see the wires in time, she's going to be sliced to pieces!_

I began to call out to her. "Rik—" Before I could even finish her name, she suddenly kicked herself off the ground and did multiple flips and handstands, elegantly twisting her body in every way possible through Black Burn's wires. Not a scratch was on her body. Her swift movements were so fluid that it seemed like something else was in control of her body. _What? She managed to get past the net by just doing flips? _My mouth was slightly agape as I stood in awe. I snapped out of it and raced after them.

The tower loomed in the horizon. Just a little longer before the race would end. That tower would signify whether the Sleeping Forest would gain or lose its newest member. I felt the tension in the air rise between everyone. I looked back to the rest of the team and quickly took note of their facial expressions. They realized what the tower symbolized as well. I looked to the two leaders.

Sora's face had that calm, stupid smile plastered on his face while Rika had a look of determination. The two were still neck and neck, neither able to overcome the other.

As the finish line drew closer, Rika made a desperate attempt to knock Sora off. In a flash, she raised her leg and rammed it into his side. The kick had connected, sending Sora off the rooftop and onto the ground. We were all surprised at what just happened.

"Sora was taken care of that quickly?" Dontores wondered aloud. It seems like everyone was thinking the same, but I remained silent. I knew Sora better than anyone else in the team. Sora Takeuchi, keeper of the Wind Road couldn't be thrown to the side that easily. It took a lot more to do that, especially when he was serious and determined to win. I kept these thoughts to myself, saving this for a conversation with Sora at a later time.

Rika continued to ride hard, blazing through the streets to the tower, not letting anyone get past her. With Sora out of the way, she was unopposed. We could have easily overpowered her or at least attempt to stop her, but it was meaningless. Sora was the one who had to cross the finish line to make the win official. It was Rika's race against him, not us. All we could really do was trail behind her until she reached the finish line.

After a few moments of silence, save for the sound of our ATs, she lunged for the finish line. Laughing, she flew in the air before touching down. _It looks like Sleeping Forest is going to have add a new member to the clan._ I smiled. Shortly after, I touched down as well as everyone else. The heavy tension that was around us dissipated. It was replaced with a light and easy feeling. The faint sound of moving ATs reached our ears. We looked behind and saw Sora riding closely behind. We watched as he jumped and landed with ease. "Congrats Rika on making the team" he laughed.

Smiling, Rika responded. "Thank you Sora-kun! You were a really tough opponent to beat! I'm really glad that I was able to make it" Her happiness was contagious. Soon after, everyone else started to smile along with her and chuckled silently to themselves. I could feel my own lips curl up.

"Now then!" Sora interrupted. "Let's go and celebrate the admission of Sleeping Forest's newest member!" he exclaimed, pumping his fists into the air.

The suggestion took well with the other members, for instead of their usual mumbling and arguing, they unanimously agreed. _That's a first.. _"+5 points"

-  
>We went into a local bar to celebrate. Dozens of sake bottles littered the tables and some lay scattered by our feet. It was quite a sight. It wasn't too often that one would see a bunch of weirdly dressed people wearing ATs come into a bar and drink the entire week's supply of alcohol. Sora by himself was a loud nuisance, but since the majority of the team was also intoxicated, the bar turned from a fairly quiet place to a concert in a matter of minutes.<p>

Black Burn was half-slouching, half-laying on the couch, drinking sake bottles as his face gradually turned red. Even though he constantly drank alcohol, he seemed to be drinking more tonight, if that was even possible. He turned to me. "Kilik, are youse gonna drink *hiccup* youse's? I could reaaally use a refresher right now *hiccup*". I shook my head in slight frustration, but nonetheless tossed him the bottle. He dove for the bottle, falling off the couch and landing on his face "aughh..*hiccup*". I couldn't help smile a little bit.

Falco, who didn't drink that often, was immediately buzzed as soon as he took a couple sips from his cup. His face was already bright red. He was stumbling around the bar, drunkenly singing Japanese folk songs and attempting to dance. He even went over to a few tables and sang to the people sitting there. He targeted three young ladies at a table and approached them. Drunk or not, Falco's singing was never the best.

"MY SWEETHEART, JOIN HANDS WITH MEEE! LET'S CHASE OUR DREAMS TOGETTHERR. I'M NEVER WORRIEDDD AS LONG AS I'M WITH YOUUU!" he belted out into his sake bottle microphone. For some reason, after he finished singing, he would start to cry for a moment before forgetting it and continuing to sing at another table. Hearing him sing while intoxicated was excruciating. His volume increased to several levels as he kept drinking. "-10 points.."

The rest were by the bartender. Dontores, bright-faced was talking incoherently to the semi-buzzed Ine. Behind her were Spitfire, Sora and Rika. Sora was probably the most bothersome. He was clumsily sitting on the stool by the bartender between Spitfire and Rika. Spitfire seemed to be somewhat sober, unlike the flushed Sora beside him. Sora kept raising his bottle every ten minutes or so, whooping and repeatedly stating that today was a celebration in honor of the team's newest member. He seemed to be having a hell of a good time. Whenever he would run out of sake, he would call the bartender to bring him more from the storage room. Sometimes when the bartender pretended to not hear the demands that were being made, Sora would stand up and bang his hands on the table until he got the bartender's attention. Insults occasionally fly out of his mouth, calling the bartender a "lazy ass barkeep" or a "fucking bastard". Other insults were made, but I couldn't make them out.

Rika's face was slightly pink. It added a nice shade of color to her pale skin and complimented her lively auburn hair. She swayed a bit, but I doubt she was very intoxicated. Once in a while, Sora's arm would be slung over her shoulders, making her blush. I looked away from the two.

I was sitting in a nearby booth that was isolated from the team's rambunctious activities. It was embarrassing enough to be seen with them, especially since the team had a reputation of being ruthless and lacking sympathy. Anyone who saw them like this would think that they were just a bunch of drunks who dressed in uncommonly colorful clothing. The previous image would immediately disappear.

I removed my lips from the glass of water before setting it down on the table. I brought my elbows onto the surface of the table, entwining my fingers and placing them over my mouth. I closed my eyes and leaned into my hands. My cheek was still throbbing after Rika's strong kick. Almost immediately, I felt my energy slowly diminish.

Something warm softly pushed my shoulders. "Kilik-san, are you asleep?" A voice asked. I opened my eyes to find Rika standing before me with a sake bottle and two cups in her hand.

"You can go back if you're tired. It wouldn't be good to fall asleep here."

"It's fine. It'd also be rude to walk out on your celebration party"

She smiled. "Well in that case, how about sharing a drink with me?"

_One or two can't hurt, right? _"Sure, I'd like that" I replied.

"Great!" she sat down in the seat opposite of me and began to pour out the sake. She handed me one of the cups before taking her own.

I raised my cup. "To Rika-san, Sleeping Forest's Thorn Queen!" We clanked our cups together and downed it fast. The taste of the sake was strong. Its bitterness burned in my throat, but I ignored it and pushed it down. "Aaahh" she let out as she put down her cup. She took the bottle and poured herself another, waiting for me to give her my cup.

-  
>Without realizing it, we drank the entire bottle of sake. My cheeks were now slightly pink. Rika's cheeks were a deep shade of red. We were just smiling at each other, automatically bringing our sake cups to our lips even though very little was still left. In the dim light, she looked amazing. The image of her gave off a dream-like feeling. I almost thought it was a dream, but I knew better. She was real. She was sitting in front, drinking with me. It can't be an illusion—<p>

"—you there, bring us *hiccup* another round of sake! Move that lazy ass of yours pronto!" Sora's voice echoed from nearby. I sighed aloud. _If he keeps that up, we're gonna get kicked out.._ "-15 points"

"Hey Sora I think we should go home soon" Dontores slurred. "I'm ready to turn in"

"You pansy, have another drink before you head out" Sora joked. "It's not often that we *hiccup* go out together like this~ we gotta milk it 'till it's dry!" he grinned widely.

A calm voice sounded out. "Even so, I'm done for tonight. We'll see you guys later" Two pairs of ATs skated out the door. I looked to Rika. Even though her face was somewhat red, I could see her fighting to keep her eyes open.

"Do you want to go Rika-san?"

"Mmhmm I think I'm done celebrating for one night" she giggled. I helped her up. We half-staggered, half-skated to the exit, leaving Sora, Dontores, Falco, and Black Burn in the bar.

-  
>We finally found our way back to the tower. We entered and plopped ourselves on the couch, removing our ATs. Exhausted, I slunk my head onto the couch's armrest. The once sharp throbbing dulled a bit, but I'm pretty sure it was just the work of alcohol. I raised my hand to touch it. On contact, I let out a groan.<p>

"Kilik-san are you hurt?" her tone was laced with concern.

"Yes, but I'm fine. It's a very minor injury—" A warm hand reached out and grabbed my face, facing the wounded cheek. Her green eyes widened and her mouth started to open to speak. I couldn't help staring at her from the corner of my eye.

She gasped. "Oh no! How could I do such a thing? I'm sorry for hurting you Kilik-san! I'm gonna go get some ice for you." She pulled her hand away and went off into the kitchen. I pressed my back against the couch, closing my eyes. I was slowly falling asleep. A few minutes later I heard the sound of shuffling feet and I opened my eyes. She returned with a small bag of ice in her hands. She sat to the left of me, still holding the bag.

"Lemme see your injury" She cupped my chin to turn to face her and eased the bag of ice onto my wound. When the ice touched my skin, I let out a loud hiss.

"Sorry" I heard her say. She kept pressing the ice to my wound.

"Rika-san you don't need to hold it, I can do it." I grabbed the corner of the small bag and started to pull it away from under her fingers. Unexpectedly, she kept her grip on it.

"No it's the least I can do since I was the one who gave you that wound"

"It's quite alright Rika-san. It's very minor. Besides, you went through the trouble of bringing me the ice" I responded.

"Yea, but I feel like that wasn't enough. Please let me do this, Kilik-san!" she practically begged me. After consideration, I nodded. She smiled and firmly pressed the bag against my face.

After a while, I noticed that her arm was getting tired from holding it in place, so I immediately took it from her.

"You've done more than enough Rika-san. Thank you." I pressed the cold bag on my face while placing my head on the armrest. I almost fell asleep right then and there, but Rika's voice shook me out of it.

"Kilik-san?"

"Yes?"

"It's getting late, so I guess I'll just head back home." She stood up and staggered towards the door. I sat up, letting the watery bag slide down onto the floor.

"Rika-san, a room was already prepared for you. Why don't you stay here?" She stopped in her tracks and spun around to eye me.

"No I can't, I must get home to the kids" she said as she stumbled towards the door. I quickly got up from the couch and caught her before she fell. Her hands instinctively grabbed the front of my uniform as her limp body fell against mine. Our bodies were securely pressed against each other's as we stood there in silence. One of my arms was around her waist and the other grabbed her wrist.

"Rika-san you're in no condition to leave like this." I stated. She paused before answering.

"You're right Kilik-san, I'm not. Even if I were to try to get back home, there's no telling what might happen" She regained her footing, releasing her grip. I did the same and dropped my arms to my sides.

"Here, I'll show you where you're staying."

We practically dragged ourselves to the empty room next to Ine's. The steel door softly groaned as the door was deftly pushed aside. I blindly clawed at the light switch, showering the room with light. Rika stepped into the room and looked around. The room was simple and bare. The only items present was a futon, a small desk, and a dresser with a mirror attached. A circular rug was placed on the floor by the bed, but other than that, no posters or anything that could be identified as belonging to someone was in sight. She finally turned to face me, hands folded behind her back. "I'm grateful to you for letting me stay here." She said as she bowed.

A slight blush crept up. "It's not anything special. The team was hoping that you'd be staying here with us, so don't thank me" I managed to get out.

"Umm Good night Rika-san" I turned around to walk to my own room

"..Kilik-san"

I didn't hear her due to her incredibly soft voice, but I heard her call out my name. I swiftly swung my body around, just in time to see Rika flinging her body at me, wrapping her arms around my waist.

_This is familiar.._ I shoved the thought aside as I closed my eyes and snaked my arms around her back. _This felt nice…_ her body was warm as it pressed against me. Her small figure melded perfectly with my chest. I wanted to hang on longer, but I wasn't heard.

The hug didn't last very long. It ended as soon as it started. Rika released her arms and retreated back into her room, shutting the steel door.

I stood in front of the door dazed, still processing the previous events. I finally forced my stiff legs to move and walked back to my room, still in a dream-like mode. I didn't realize that I was smiling the entire time as I automatically walked down the familiar corridors and made a few turns. A peaceful feeling surrounded me.

I shut the door, removed my uniform, and hung it in the closet before crawling into bed. I laid there staring at the ceiling for a good hour or two, unable to fall asleep after what had just happened. "Rika, if only you were to see what you've been doing to me. I cannot get you out of my head and I cannot forget you for even a minute. What does this mean?" I wondered, pausing for a minute. I smiled as I reached to a conclusion. _That question is to be answered some other time. _I let out a sigh.

_I wouldn't mind if every day was like this. I wouldn't care about anything else… just me and her. _I rolled over, facing the wall and began to feel drowsy, slowly falling asleep with a sound heart and mind.

-  
><strong>Whoo! Yea baby I finally finished the 7<strong>**th**** chapter of the As Fate Would Have It series! :D  
>I feel extremely accomplished~<strong>

**In other news, for all you anonymous readers who are continuing the Air Gear manga, the newest chapter came out online! *fan girl scream* lol! I just read it today and I still can't stop thinking about it~**

**Until next time, anonymous readers! R&R for feedback please~**


	8. Chapter 8: Help

**Disclaimer: I don't own Air Gear or anything associated with Air Gear. Enjoy my first fan fiction story!  
>-<strong>

I woke up with a minor headache. "Augh I didn't even drink that much last night, how come I have a hangover? -5 points!" I angrily muttered to myself. I glanced at the glowing numbers of the alarm clock beside me. 6:02 am. "It's too early for this.." I hissed as I fell back against my pillow. Not able to fall asleep again, I threw the covers aside and swung my legs onto the floor. I shot up, only to be met with a dull pain. I groaned as I held the top of my head with one of my hands. I pushed the steel door open and staggered to the kitchen to find something to numb the pain.

The lone shuffling of feet against the cold metal floor echoed in the corridors as I continued on my way. Almost to the kitchen, I stumbled into the living room, still holding onto my head. I grasped the doorway to support myself. "This is seriously annoying!" I looked up and my eyes widened.

I immediately threw my arms down to my sides in surprise. I hadn't expected anyone to be awake at this time of the day, but in the room, right in front of my eyes was Rika. The room was dimly lit from the sun starting to rise in the east. The poor lighting made everything in the room look so surreal. Rika's soft figure practically glowed compared to the dark hue of our surroundings. Her slightly torn battle uniform hugged her slender body as it creased and warped from her breathing.

Rika was sitting on the couch with her hands on her lap, thinking about something. A mug with some sort of liquid was clasped between her hands. The steam rose from the cup as it wafted up to her nose before disappearing into the air. She seemed oblivious to everything and just sat on the couch in silence with the mug still in her hands. Her face seemed to show a hint of concern as her eyes looked down to the floor.

Unsure of what to do, I just stood in the doorway watching her, waiting for her to stand up, look around, anything! A small wave of uneasiness swept over my body as I watched her continue to sit there motionless. In this room, there was no sign of the cheery Rika I came to know these past few days. Watching her saddened me. I was lost in my thoughts until the sound of her letting out a sigh disturbed my thoughts. _This is my chance._

I cleared my throat loud enough for her to hear. Surprised, she spun around and searched for the owner of the voice, her observing eyes settled on me. I heard her gasp and begin to shuffle around nervously, embarrassed that I caught her in that condition. _Now that I've got her attention, I have the opportunity to figure out what's bothering her._

"Rika-san is there something wrong?"

"Kilik-san! How long have you been there?" she asked nervously.

"I've been standing here for long enough" I replied. I couldn't tell her that I was watching her for the longest time. ..No, that definitely cannot happen.

"So would you mind telling me what's bothering you?" I added.

"H-huh? Oh, no nothing's bothering me! I just couldn't sleep and decided to hang out for a while that's all!" Flustered, she waved her hand back and forth, laughing uneasily. I silently stared at her, waiting for her to continue. Seeing that she wasn't, I strode across the room and sat down right next to her. The couch dipped a little on one side as my weight pressed down against it. I gently took the mug that was still clasped between her hands and set it down on the coffee table in front. I settled an arm on the back of the couch and the other slightly perched on the edge of the couch. I turned to look at her, a quizzical look on my face.

"Rika-san, even though we haven't known each other for very long, I can tell when something is wrong. What is it? You can trust me" I lowered my voice almost to a whisper, but kept it loud enough for her to hear.

She suddenly flung her hands in front of her, desperately trying to convince me that nothing was wrong. "N-no, really! There's nothing going on Kilik-san. I just decided to sit here for a while because I couldn't sleep anymore!" I continued to stare at her, determined to get her to tell me. I began to feel a little frustrated. _-5 points._ I didn't want to deduct points from her, but she left me no choice. She was still stubbornly trying to get me to leave the subject alone. The next time I spoke, it unintentionally came out sounding somewhat stern.

"Oh is that so? Then please explain to me why you were sitting here with a look of concern on your face? No one has that kind of face unless something is up" That definitely set her off. She moved back a little before answering me.

"I…" she looked away and turned her head back towards me. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. After a couple tries, she looked down to the ground and slunk her shoulders, twisting her hands in her lap. I observed her movements as I patiently waited for an answer. _She knows that she's been defeated, and yet she still persists!_

Rika faced me once more and stared into my dark eyes. In the dim light, the crosses were quite noticeable, for she was curiously staring into them. The unique eyes of a Gravity Child stared deeply into her warm, green eyes. If anyone were to come in right now, he'd think that we were having some kind of stand-off. Minutes passed before one of us finally spoke. Rika's voice filled the room.

"..Kilik-san.. I.. I don't know how I'm going to stay as a member and live here with everyone with my situation.." she confessed. I let out a small sigh of relief as she finally confided in me. A half-smile started to form on my lip, but I held it back. _Now is not the time to be smiling. For all you know, she could think that you were smiling at her insecurities! This moment is critical… don't waste it by doing something foolish!_

"What do you mean by your situation?" I asked.

"I want to be able to be with you guys, but I just can't. I have a family to take care of and they're already a handful. If I were to stay here, who would take care of them? I'm the only one they've got!" She stressed the last sentence, finally showing a smidge of her true feelings. I wasn't surprised at the least.

"We all can take care of them together Rika-san. You don't need to be the one shouldering all of the burden that has been placed on you. We're your teammates. We're here to help."

"I.. I know you guys only mean the best, but I still can't accept that."

"Why not? We'd all be able to drop by and give them all they need—"

"That's exactly my point!" She practically screamed. Her passionate side started to appear. Her fiery hair matches well with her personality. I sat, listening.

"It's not enough that we 'drop' by time to time, give them food and money, and then run off again! They need someone to take care of them, to be there for them when they need it. We've all been abandoned by someone in our lives. I can't just let that sort of thing happen to them again…" her voice started to break. Slowly, one by one I saw that the dam surrounding her heart was crumbling. She was at her most vulnerable. I felt a strong urge to grab her and hold her in my arms, but thought against it.

I couldn't respond. I wanted to suggest another idea, but I felt I had no right to do so. It felt wrong, especially since she was pouring her heart out for her family. I've never felt the pain of abandonment or had a family to begin with. These emotions never existed in my world until she came. _I can't help her… I can't do anything. I'm truly useless…_The thought greatly saddened me. Then it hit me like a train…

**I can't take away the pain that she holds so deeply in her heart.**

With saddened eyes, I gazed upon the woman sitting before me. She hung her head, desperately trying to bite back tears through clenched teeth. Her hands grasped the hem of her uniform and balled it together underneath her fingers. _She's trying to be strong… _I reached out to her and cupped her face. I gently moved her head to look straight at me, revealing the small trails of tears that stained her face as they slid down her cheeks and fell upon my hand. Her green eyes were red and puffy. They reflect an image of a past Rika, scared and helpless as she was forced into the adult world at such a young age, barely able to provide for the Noyamano household as well as surviving herself. Every hardship and battle she encountered was shown through those eyes of hers. _How can someone live, knowing that he's put this person with a heart of a saint through all those hardships…_

The tears continued to fall down. Her lips were slightly quivering while fighting to suppress the urge to let go and throw herself into a leap of faith. My eyes softened. My thumb brushed against her cheek, cutting off the steady flow of tears. I kept my hand settled on her cheek, occasionally wiping the tears from her face. Those wide, puffy eyes continued to look at me, in disbelief that I was doing such a thing. I flashed a soft smile.

I couldn't stand seeing her like this anymore. I removed my hand from her face and leaned forward, pressing my hand against the back of her head towards my body. I heard a gasp escape from her lips. As soon as the sound of her head hitting my chest reached my ears, I slung my other arm around her back. The top of her head was touching my jaw, mixing my white hair with her auburn locks. I closed my eyes as I protectively wrapped my arms around her body, firmly pulling her close. I wanted her to feel safe in some way. I wanted to protect her with all my heart and wanted her to know it. _Even though I can't take away her pain, I can at least try to ease it. I want to let her know that I care…_

It took her a minute for the feeling to sink in. She slowly raised her hands and grabbed the back of my t-shirt, pulling me closer. I felt the back of the t-shirt ball up in her hands, but I didn't mind. She sobbed into my chest as she curled into my arms. Her sobs were muffled, but to me they were as loud as a megaphone. My shirt was beginning to become soaked with her pent up tears, but I just sat there holding onto her, listening to her sobbing.

After she started to regain her composure, I began to speak. I half-opened my eyes.

"It's alright to show your true feelings like this once in a while. There's nothing wrong with it. No one here is going to ridicule you." I whispered in her ear. I felt her body tense.

"As for your current situation, you don't have to live with us to be a member of the team. You are welcome to continue living in your home with the others and still be able to ride with us." She pulled away a few inches, just enough for us to be face to face.

"Thank you Kilik-san.. for everything. I'm forever grateful to you" She smiled sweetly. A glimpse of the previously charismatic Rika glistened in her eyes.

I was too mesmerized to respond right away. It took about half a minute for me to respond.  
>"Umm ahem… I'm happy to help Rika-san" I stuttered.<p>

We were silently staring into each other's eyes for a while. I looked down from her eyes to her luscious lips. I found myself slowly leaning closer to her, my eyes locking onto her lips. My face was only about an inch or two from meeting hers. I stopped for a moment. I felt her slow, warm breath fan my face as I began to lean forward again. Instinctively, I tilted my head sideways as I neared. Her hands, which were still slightly balling the back of my t-shirt scrunched up again in anticipation. Through my hazed eyes, I almost missed seeing her eyes widen for a second before relaxing and closing them. I took that as permission to continue. I felt my eyelids become increasingly heavier and gave into the urge, letting my eyes close as I inched closer. Her breaths became much warmer and faster. I felt my body get warmer as well. We were so close… just a little bit more and I would taste her lush, soft-looking lips. We were both filled with anticipation as we gradually leaned closer. The wait was excruciating. Everything was going to end with this one kiss that was happening between us. All the tears and pain would wash away—

"Arghhh my head…" a voice echoed. Our eyes shot open and looked to the doorway.

"I think you had too much to drink last night Sora" another voice called out. The voices were coming towards us.

"Shut up Spitfire. You left pre-maturely so you have no right to say." Sora spat.

Spitfire chuckled. "At least I'm not waking up to a hangover~" Their steps were getting louder as they approached.

We realized that with our faces so close and our bodies pressed against one another in such a manner would appear scandalous. We immediately released our grip on each other and flew to each end of the couch. Just in time, the two stagger into the room, or rather, Sora staggered into the room. Spitfire, with no signs of a hangover from last night's celebrations casually strolled into the room closely behind.

"Oh what's this?" Sora asked. I detected a hint of suspicion in his tone.

"Nothing. We just woke up early and started to talk, that's all" I replied. _It technically isn't a lie. We __did__ wake up early and talk for a bit. _I fidgeted a little in my seat, unable to shake off this watching feeling. Luckily Rika changed the subject. _+15 points._

"Oh Sora you look terrible! How much did you drink last night to end up like this?" she stood up and walked over to him, inspecting him for injuries or anything out of place. I watched the two, feeling a small pang in my heart and ended up looking away to Spitfire.

"You didn't participate much last night Spitfire"

"Hm? Oh no I'm not much of a sake fan. I'm all for red wine though" he grinned.

"By the way, how come Miss Noyamano and your face are so red?" he added, noticing how her eyes were slightly puffy. In the corner of my eye I saw Rika's body tense up when she heard his question.

"Oh I guess that's just the effect from the alcohol. I'm sure the color would go away in a few hours or so.."

Sora looked at me weirdly. His expression was stern for a moment, before reverting back to his foolish grin.

"If that's true, then I'll be red-faced the entire week!" he smirked. He turned to Rika.

"Hey Rika, let's go into the kitchen to get something to eat yea?" Before she could respond, he grabbed her wrist and led her to the kitchen, leaving me and Spitfire behind. I shook my head.

"-10 points"

Spitfire smirked. "He just can't help it" He started for the kitchen. "I don't know about you Kilik, but I'm pretty hungry! Let's go join them." his coat ruffled as he moved, creating a wind-like effect.

"…" not knowing what to say, I silently got up from my seat and followed Spitfire.

"—and Dontores was telling this one rider who came into the bar to fuck off. The rider didn't recognize him so he challenged him to a battle. Dontores gladly accepted his challenge and crushed him right off the bat! He was stinkin' drunk and he still beat that amateur! The rider left the area with his tail between his legs. You should've seen it!" Sora howled with laughter with Rika joining him. She looked around, coincidentally seeing me. Almost instantly, a fierce blush crossed her face and she turned around to hide it. I felt the same. There was an awkward tension between us now because of what happened on the couch a few minutes earlier.

I began to walk out of the kitchen, passing the three keepers and across the living room.

"Hey Kilik! Where are you going? Aren't you gonna wake them up?" Sora called out.

"Go get them yourself. I'm going out for a while" I coldly responded.

I went back into my room, shut the door, and went through my wardrobe for suitable clothes to change into. I found a light gray sleeveless collared shirt and jeans that were adorned with the emblems of former conquests. I slipped a few wristbands and rings on before quickly inspecting myself in the mirror. _Not too flashy, not too dull. Good enough_.

_This is a good opportunity to observe other storm riders and learn from their techniques. _I prepared my ATs and bolted out the door and into the heart of Tokyo with the wind underneath my wings.

-  
><strong>This took longer to complete than i thought! Dang, Kilik was cockblocked by Sora and Spitfire! What is Sora gonna do in the city?<br>**read on to find out~ :D

HAPPY READING!


	9. Chapter 9: Come With Me

**Disclaimer: I don't own Air Gear or anything associated with Air Gear. Enjoy my first fan fiction!  
>-<strong>

I wandered about aimlessly in the city. The steady hum and whir of my ATs were the only sounds that I heard. Everything in the sky was so quiet and peaceful compared to the bustling streets below. I sped up towards a stair rail. I flew in the air and landed, grinding the rail. The friction sent sparks all around me. I effortlessly back flipped towards the rail beside me, my hand grabbing it. My arm held my weight as I heaved my body towards the sky, twisting my body to adjust to the movements. As the railing as about to end, I stood up right and lunged for the parking lot in the corner. I grabbed the low concrete barrier of the 2nd floor and quickly swung my legs over it.

As soon as I was over the barrier, I looked around. There weren't many cars around. One or two would be parked in a few spaces, but other than those few the parking lot was practically empty. I glided to the clock on the wall in between two elevators.

"8:01 am. I guess they don't come to work until at least 9." I shrugged my shoulders.

"This has nothing to do with me.." I said to myself and firmly pressed the elevator button. The door opened instantly and I rolled into the cramped room. As I stood alone in the small elevator, watching as the number above the door flash occasionally, I began to think. _There's only one human in this world that I would even give a damn about. _I sighed.

"I hope things will get better between us soon. It'd be very uncomfortable to be going around battling and be so awkward around a member of my own team."

The elevator came to a stop, ringing an automated bell. The doors opened up, revealing a spacious roof with a beautiful view of the sky. I stepped out and rolled towards the middle of the concrete roof. I saw a small sedan parked in the corner. _Who in their right mind would park all the way up here when there's so much space in the floors below?_

"-10 points"

I turned away from the car and looked up into the sky. The white puffy clouds lazily moved in the sky, complimenting the sky's bright blue hue. A thin layer of light shined from behind one of the clouds. Slowly, it moved away, revealing the bright sun. It was just like a painting. I stared up into the sky, pressing the back of my hand over the top of my eyes to shield them from blinding sun. I squinted, trying to get a better look, but I couldn't.

"Damn I should've worn my sunglasses before I left.." I muttered.

I heaved a sigh. "Oh well, what's done is done. There's no point in going back for them now."

I looked around the empty roof once again. To the right of me was a concrete pathway, like a road. I rolled towards the mouth of the path. I looked over the concrete barrier in front of me, trying to see where the path would end up. I saw that it winded through the other floors and led out into the streets. Just at a glance, I saw that the streets were packed with cars and the streets were at least 14 meters wide. An idea formed in my head. I moved to the far end of the roof opposite from the entrance of the path before I bent my knees and leaned forward. I brought my right leg back and revved up my ATs. I quickly calculated the speed and height I needed to succeed my plan. A determined look was in my eyes.

I leaned forward on my ATs and began to move. I dashed as fast as I could to the entrance. When I was about a foot away from the starting point of the path, I immediately braked and leaned to the side, folding my body and spreading my arms apart. Sparks flew everywhere as I skid through the multiple floors. I kept accelerating as I continued to drift down the winding path, keeping a close distance to the inner wall. I raised my hand and let my fingers gently graze the wall as I sped up. Nearing the exit, I removed my hand from the wall and resumed my position.

"Almost there!" I could see the light flood the dark parking lot floor. I swerved the last part of the path and flung myself into the streets, flying above the cars. As I soared above everyone, I felt a small wave of happiness creep into my heart, involuntarily smiling. The sun's rays found me and spread their warmth on my body. I squinted through one eye as I held my hand up to block the sun from shining on my face. I caught sight of a light pole and reached out for it. I felt the cold metal under my fingers and pulled my body towards it. My legs folded and I heard the sharp clank of the ATs colliding with the metal. Not wasting a second, I immediately accelerated, spiraling up the pole. _Upper Soul 23 Roll! _I curled my ATs directly under my body and launched myself higher into the air, releasing the light pole and spun in the air.

I shifted my body so that I was nearly upside down. My ATs shot up into the sky and windmilled in the air, rotating my body and shifting my center of gravity. _Moonrider._

I landed onto a nearby low roof with ease. After all that, I haven't even broken a sweat.

"Aahh…" I groaned as the sunlight shined in my eyes again.

Without another word, I angrily leaped off the roof and breezed through the city streets to look for a shop that sold sunglasses. After a few minutes of searching, I finally found one. I halted and calmly stepped inside the store.

-  
>I came back out after several various trials and errors and finally chose a pair. The chrome rims were a bit thick and the glasses itself was a dark gray. The sunglasses were somewhat clear, allowing my eyes to be seen by others and yet they provide me with the same level of eye protection as dark sunglasses would. The pair of sunglasses that I kept in my room was completely outdated. To me, those sunglasses served a purpose in blinding me rather than helping me.<p>

Satisfied, I quickly jumped onto the roof and ran on the rooftops towards the tower. _I think I've spent a sufficient amount of time doing nothing. I should return quickly to make plans for the next storm battle._

I ran miles and miles of rooftops, repeatedly hopping from one to another, then something caught my eye. I landed on the rooftop ledge and looked down to search for the item. I finally found it. "Can it really be? I never thought I'd see this again in such a short time!" I eagerly jumped down from the roof and crossed the street to enter the shop. As I walked, the hem of my untucked shirt softly blew behind me as the doors opened to welcome me. On the way, I met a group of high school students. The 3 students who were comfortably walking out of the store, talking to each other suddenly stopped in their tracks. The one in the middle looked up at me, staring wide-eyed in shock or surprise. The other two followed suit. I looked down at them from the corner of my eyes, casting a shadow over them.

"Excuse me.." I said in a commanding tone rather than one requesting. The two girls beside the third student stepped aside, leaving the girl in the middle frozen in her place. Losing my patience, I swerved around the girl still staring straight at me and continued on. A slight wind caught the back of my shirt and flew up a bit, revealing my lower back.

From behind, I heard the girls gasp and felt their eyes bore into my back. I then heard the soft sound of feet moving about and a stream of girlish jabber quickly followed. Ignoring the students, I went off to find someone in the store who could help me get what I wanted.

-  
>Hours later, I raced out the store in a blink of an eye, leaving the citizens that were around wondering what passed them. I went onto the streets riding my brand new Ducati. I felt pride surge through my veins, feeling the power of the bike as I gripped the handles and stepped on the gas. My helmet was securely placed onto my head. Unfamiliar to wearing protection gear, it felt a bit uncomfortable, but I endured it. I was too excited and happy to be concerned with a little discomfort. It was around 4 pm, judging from the sun's position. The streets would normally be packed with vehicles around at least 5:30. Compared to that, the streets were almost empty, giving me the perfect opportunity to test out my new motorcycle.<p>

Accelerating, I swerved and twisted everywhere in the streets. I felt the wind brush past me like never before. _  
>I could never get this kind of feeling from riding ATs. Even though this cannot compare to an AT's speed and ability, this is just as good. There are no such worries like competing for territories or regalia, just riding for the joy of riding. <em>I smiled as I raced through the streets, passing by other cars within seconds.

"+70 points!" I yelled out as I drove felt like a heavy burden was released from my shoulders as I aimlessly steered the vehicle through the city.

Without realizing it, I accelerated so much that I was nearly back at the tower in a short amount of time. I braked as the looming tower was in front of me.

"The ride back was way too short" I muttered. Luckily, none of the Sleeping Forest members was in sight. They would most likely drag me back into the tower to help them do some training or research tactics. I huffed. The team needed me for those kinds of things because they didn't have the capability to do it as precisely as I was able to. I swung a leg over the motorcycle while pulling the stuffy helmet off. I stood up and hung the helmet on the handles and lifted the back of the seat up. Inside, all safe and snug were my ATs. I picked them up, put the seat back down, and walked into the tower.

I went down the empty corridors and rooms, searching for a certain person. The first thing I saw was a fairly drunk Black Burn splayed over the couch. His face was red and he was sleeping soundly with a bottle in his hand. As I looked over the top of the couch, I saw that there were multiple bottles on the floor beside him. I shook my head.

"-10 points" I grumbled.

I continued down the corridors until I reached the steel door that signified my room. I pried the door open and dumped my ATs on the bed, looking around my room for a moment. There wasn't much to look at. There was the standard bed and desk with a dresser on the side. I didn't have many personal things either. The only items that signified that the room belonged to someone were the clothes folded neatly in the dresser, my formal attires and uniform that hung in the closet, and a few accessories that were gathered on the dresser. Unlike the other team members, I wasn't one to go and take the time to decorate my room. I kept it neat and tidy, with little to no clutter about. I observed the room for another minute or two before turning and exiting.

On the way out, I silently closed the door. I wandered within the tower for a few moments, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. _Where is everyone… _

I heard the music echoing from one of the rooms. It didn't sound too far away so I started to follow it. I eventually came to a large steel door with an enormous, bright-red D crudely painted in the middle. There were some other paintings that stuck out from the D, but I couldn't recognize what they were. I calmly pushed the door open, revealing a tall figure sitting on the bed, rapping out lyrics. A microphone was in his hand and was pressed against the figure's lips, the other hand making odd gestures. A hood was covering his face, but I still recognized him.

"..Dontores" I called out. The figure immediately stopped rapping and making obscene gestures at the sound of an intruder and quickly got up, removing the large hood that covered his head.

"Oh Kilik you're back." He calmly stated. He stood up from the bed and stepped towards me. The door was a barrier between us.

"Where you been? Rika-san and everyone else was worried about you when they heard that you just stormed out of here this morning." He explained.

"They were worried about me? Who is 'they'?"

"Well… Spitfire, Rika-san, and Sora of course."

"… Sora? _Sora_ was worried about me? -15 points!" a sarcastic tone naturally weaved into my words. _Everyone here knows that Sora doesn't care much about anyone else other than himself…he's just using Rika for his own benefits! _A scowl slowly formed on my face and a low growl escaped from my lips.

"Uhh yea Sora too. He seemed to be nervous when you left—"

"That's probably only because Rika-san was present…" I spat. Dontores was looking at me strangely. He remained like that for a minute or two before he continued to speak.

"…I wouldn't know about that or nothin' 'cause all I know is that they went out to look for you a while ago." He sounded a little deflated when he said that. _I guess he cares about Rika that way too…?_ I ignored the thought.

"…Dontores, were you and the others told that I left?" I asked.

"Not exactly. When we woke up we noticed that you weren't up early as usual. Spitfire told us that you went out in a hurry, but we shouldn't let it bother us too much. Sora came up and assured us that it wasn't anything serious, just that you were PMSing again…" he explained. My eyebrows furrowed.

"-25 points!" I yelled through clenched teeth. I felt a powerful urge to slip into my ATs and go on a rampage. Unknowingly, my fists began to ball up.

Just then the sound of the main entrance echoed. Footsteps were approaching, but I couldn't tell who they belonged to. The mysterious person kept heading towards us. Dontores and I were anxious to know who it was. A moment later, a mess of short, fiery-orange hair popped out from the corner.

"It's Spitfire" I mumbled as he rounded the corner.

"Dontores are you there?" he asked.

"Yea I'm right here. Wait up I'll come out." He responded. Dontores squeezed himself through the door and brushed passed me. His thunderous footsteps slightly shook the floor as he took a step. I followed closely behind him, revealing myself.

"Kilik! You're back!"

"You sound surprised Spitfire. Was my appearance that uncharacteristic?" I replied half-jokingly.

Spitfire smirked. "No, not at all, but because you stormed out this morning I thought we weren't going to see you again for a couple days.." _That's right… I did that once… not a good memory_… I grimaced.

"That's definitely not gonna happen again Spitfire." I continued. "Where's Rika-san and that bastard?" I looked left and right, with no sign of the woman who was always close by.

"Ine left too?" I added. _I might as well add her in. I don't want to sound like I'm obsessed with those two's activities and whereabouts. _

"Oh Ine had to go back to the hospital to take care of some paperwork. She said she wouldn't be back until next week. As for those two, Miss Noyamano said she had to care for the kids so Sora went to see her off. Don't worry though he's gonna be back soon."

"I see. How long ago since you three split up?"

"Hmm it's probably about.. half an hour ago, why?" He sounded a bit suspicious that I was asking these sorts of questions.

I shook my head. "It's nothing. I just wanted to go keep my promise to someone" Spitfire raised an eyebrow, silently questioning me. I felt Dontores' stare pierce into me as well.

"Alright, well if you're still looking to keep that promise you should get going." Spitfire added. He turned his head, looking at the clock perched right by the corridor.

"It's almost 6:30. It's going to become pretty dark soon. We were planning on going out at around 11 or so."

I nodded and said goodbye to the two. I began walking back towards the main entrance, passing by a still-sleeping Black Burn. I grabbed a pair of shoes and hurriedly put on a jacket as I waited for the huge door to open, revealing a dusk that began to disappear and transform into the night. I looked up, observing the colors in the vast sky.

"I should hurry. There's not much time in the day left."

I headed for the perched motorcycle and quickly grabbed the helmet, shoved it on my head, and swung a leg over the other side of the bike.

I grunted and steered the motorcycle around, facing the opposite direction. I wasn't ready to go back to the AT world just yet. I had to do go complete something first. Stepping on the gas, I drove off into the streets again. I saw dozens of cars cruising by and getting stuck in the tight traffic, so I took a road that led to the suburbs. Not many people were present as I passed by and many houses were dark; it made it look like the entire neighborhood was abandoned.

Nearing my destination, I stopped at a house bright with lights. I yanked off the helmet and held it in my hand as I got up. I slowly walked up the steps to the house, planning on what I was going to say in my head. One by one, I was approaching the front door. I heard muffled sounds of people talking and various clattering.

I raised my hand and reached out to knock on the old door. The sound of my knuckles rapping against the door rang in my ears. Relaxing my hand, I dropped my arm back down to my side and waited for someone to answer. I quickly held the helmet behind my back. The sound of approaching feet came from behind the door and suddenly ceased. Suddenly, the door was whipped open, revealing a slightly disheveled Rika standing by it. I eyed her for a moment. Her hair trailed down to her back, strands waving and settling onto her shoulders. She wore a loose, comfortable green t-shirt coupled with a pair of white shorts. Covering her feet, she had on a pair of light-blue slippers that looked worn out. _Something is different. What is it that's bothering me?_ Then it hit me. _This is the first time since I've seen her wearing something than her battle uniform... even so, she still looks amazing.._ Rika's voice pierced through my thoughts.

"Kilik-san, what are you doing here?" I mentally shook my head to focus. When I opened my eyes a half smile curled my lips. _She definitely didn't expect me to appear in front of her doorstep. _

"I came to keep my promise" I coolly stated as I presented the helmet to her.

"**Come with me"**

**-  
>I'm pretty happy with the way the story is going right now :)<strong>

**Yes, there are some things that came out of the manga, but I thought they would go well with the story, so I used it~**

Those who were waiting for the newest chapters, sorry! The chapters are getting longer (compared to the early ones) as I keep writing so it's gonna take a while, especially since there is a lot of editing and revising to be done. Urgh…

**R&R and happy reading!~**


	10. Chapter 10: Ride

**Disclaimer: I don't own Air Gear or anything associated with Air Gear. Enjoy my first fan fiction!  
>-<strong>

**Rika's POV-**

"W-what?" I stammered. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. _Am I hearing right?_ _Is this man, who ran off for half the day and suddenly shows up at my doorstep holding a helmet to me, asking me to come with him?_ The helmet that was in front of me hung loosely in his hand. I stared at it for a minute, reverting back to the man standing before me. He just silently stood there, waiting for an answer. I slowly regained my senses.

"Kilik-san…" I started. I couldn't get the words out. _Why am I always like this whenever he's around?_

"I…I'm sorry." I stated. Before I averted my eyes to somewhere else, I saw his confident, half-smiling face dampen. The helmet that was stretched out towards me lowered as well. I felt guilty for rejecting him, but I can't just leave Mikan and the others alone while I went out to enjoy myself! The words that then came out of his mouth surprised me, causing me to whip my head back to face him with wide eyes.

"I understand Rika-san. It's alright if you don't want to…" he hesitated for a moment before he lifted his head up, staring into my eyes. "..but I just wanted to show that I kept my promise to you." The normally bright crosses that tattooed his eyes dulled as his eyes drooped and his lips pointed downward into a slight frown. A pain shot through my heart as I continued to observe his facial expressions.

"In other news, the team decided move out at around 11 tonight. They didn't mention you, so I'd assume that they're giving you some time for your personal life and priorities. …That's all I have… I'll be taking my leave now. Good night, Rika-san." he said as he turned to leave, the helmet hitting his upper thigh as he walked.

I couldn't take it. Hearing the sadness and disappointment in his voice was painful. I clenched the front of my shirt and bit my lip. _He kept the promise we made. He took the courage to come up to me and offer to take me out on a ride. He expected so much and yet I shot him down right away! What should I do…?_

On impulse, I stepped out of the house, slippers and all and grabbed his arm. I felt his body stiffen and a gasp escape from his lips. He slowly turned around and I removed my hand from his arm. I knew that he was waiting for me to say something, but I couldn't speak while looking directly into his eyes so I lowered my head.

"Kilik-san.." I whispered. "It's not that I don't want to.. but I just can't. I can't leave Mikan and the kids alone like this. I became a member of Sleeping Forest, which already requires a lot of time away from them. I'm supposed to take care of them, to be a symbol of a family they never had, but I can't do that when I'm gone all the time.." my voice began to waver. I felt my eyes begin to sting, but I bit them back. _I'm not going to cry again. I've already proven myself to be a burden to him._

"..so please don't think that I easily refused your offer. I know that you took a great deal of courage to appear in front of my house like this and I appreciate it, but I am obligated to care for my family first."

"Obligation this, obligation that.." a rough voice sounded behind me. I spun around, seeing an annoyed Mikan leaning against the doorway. She looked at me sternly as her arms were folded across her chest.

"Mikan…"

"Rika Neesan, we are grateful that you took us in and cared for us for so long, but we also know that you have a life of your own. We might not be able to feed or clothe ourselves, but that doesn't mean that we can't manage." She uncrossed her arms and stood upright.

"Look, all I'm saying is that we don't want to be an anchor keeping you down from living your life… so go take that stiff's offer and enjoy yourself!" She flashed a smile and shot her thumb towards herself.

"Whenever you're gone, I'll be in charge of taking care of these brats!" I was stunned. I didn't know how to respond to her speech. Suddenly, I heard a window from above bang open.

"Big Sis you should go! I'm a superhero and I can handle myself! I don't need that gorilla to watch over me!" a childish voice called out. I looked up and saw a grinning Ikki with half his body out of the window.

"You brat! How dare you call me a gorilla! I should come up there right now and practice my new wrestling moves on you!" Mikan growled and threw a fist towards the boy in the window.

"Tcch as if you'd ever be able to catch me dumb gorilla!"

"What? Oh that does it you twerp! I'm gonna punish you until you can't move for at least a week! RAAAHHHH!" Mikan yelled as she raced back inside. The thundering steps as she ran up the stairs caused Ikki to quickly retreat back into the room and prepare for the upcoming terror that awaits him.

"Dera Beppin!" a call cried out, followed by a loud thud and the sound of various objects breaking. Shortly after, a pink-haired girl popped her head out of the open window.

"You should go Rika-nee. I've got this covered" she said with a mischievous smirk before she brought her head back in and closed the window.

Shocked, I just stood there, processing the turn of events. A deep voice called out to me.

"Rika-san?" I turned around to find Kilik still standing there.

"Y-yes?"

The helmet that was in his hand gradually moved up in front of my face again. "Here. Get your shoes and let's go." I was still looking at the helmet that was before my eyes. I looked up at him and saw that his face had brightened up considerably. I wasn't able to move and could only stare. The next thing I knew, something heavy was on my head. In an instant, my vision turned darker and my head felt constricted by this object.

I realized that Kilik had put on the helmet for me. Embarrassed, I bowed and hurriedly thanked him.

"It's alright Rika-san. I thought it was something to get you out of your daydream." He smiled. _He's much more handsome when he smiles. _A blush crept up to my cheeks, grateful that the helmet prevented him from seeing.

"You might want to go get your shoes unless you intend on wearing those slippers~"

I automatically looked down to my feet. The slippers that I was wearing were old and worn out. They also weren't meant to be worn outside of the house, but I guess I forgot to take them off when I rushed to stop him from leaving.

"Oh you're right. I should go get my shoes. Please wait a moment" I replied and darted into the house. I immediately placed the slippers by the door and grabbed my shoes and socks, closing the door behind me.

"All set! Let's go!" I shouted in joy. I grabbed Kilik's wrist as I bounced down the stairs to the waiting Ducati, not seeing his surprised face and not hearing his startled gasp. I was already lost in my thoughts. _I can't believe he actually kept his promise…in such a short time too! I didn't expect this to happen for at least a year!_

I released my grip on his wrist when we finally reached the motorcycle. He stepped past me and deftly swung a leg over the bike. He turned his head to me.

"Do you need any help getting on?" he asked.

"No I got it" I confidently stated. I went up to the bike and swung my leg over just as he did, but I was short of completion so I started to tilt sideways.

"Aaah!" I screamed. I grabbed the back of his jacket to stop myself from falling.

"OH my god I almost died!" I was trembling in the seat as I recovered, grasping my heart. I heard a low chuckle come from in front.

"What's so funny?" I asked curiously.

"It's nothing. Let's get going, shall we?"

"Mmhmm! I'm ready!" I pumped my arm into the air. He started the engine, but then suddenly stole a glance at me.

"Rika-san you're not wearing a jacket." That was not what I expected at all.

"Hm? Oh! I must've forgotten to bring one when I grabbed my shoes. I'll go get it right now. Please wait here for a little bit~" I quickly got off the motorcycle, prepared to dash to the door, but a hand grabbed my arm and stopped me. Before I could react to the movement, I heard cloth ruffling and then something warm was draped over my shoulders. Shocked, I looked up at him, realizing that he had shed his jacket off and gave it to me instead.

"Kilik-san! I can't take this! You'll get a cold!" I protested. I gripped the jacket, about to throw it back at him.

He shook his head in response. "No it's alright. You need it more than I do. I don't want you getting sick either so I'll endure it"

"…ahhh.." _What a gentleman…_

"Come on Rika-san, I'm afraid that time is not on our side tonight." He motioned for me to get on the bike. I nodded and gripped his shirt as I hopped on. Earlier, I had taken the helmet off to readjust it, but ended up giving it back to Kilik to wear. _He gave me his jacket, I can't accept the helmet as well. It doesn't matter much. I'd rather feel the wind blow through my hair~_

"Let's go!" I shouted excitedly.

What I didn't expect however, was the Ducati's great power. As soon as the motorcycle started to move, I jerked backwards, gripping the shirt in front of me even harder. I involuntarily let out a scream, afraid that I was going to fall backwards and hit the pavement below.

Fearing that my grip was going to slip, I released his shirt for a split second before I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing the side of my face firmly against his back. I forcibly shut my eyes and pulled the now-tense body closer, not realizing the significance of my actions.

**Kilik POV-**

I heard her scream and was about to turn back to check up on her, but I lost my senses when I felt her arms tightly wrap around my middle and her face against my back. I was so surprised that I forgot that I was driving and almost lost control. Luckily, I managed to prevent us from crashing and continued to drive on. I was still quite distracted with her body pressed up against mine and ended up missing turns that would've taken us to the destination much faster. I stopped behind a gray sedan on a red light and groaned, knowing that I was wasting time.

At this point, Rika relaxed her grip on me and looked about.

"Kilik-san, where are we going?" she asked, still dazed.

"We're going somewhere that I think you'd enjoy very much. It shouldn't be that much longer Rika-san." Instead of facing her, I had to keep my eyes on the light, unwilling to go into another near-accident. Seconds felt like minutes, and minutes felt like hours. I was growing impatient. The light hadn't switched to green yet. _Come on, come on hurry it up!_

"-15 points!" I growled. Frustrated, I steered the Ducati off the road and drove it into an alley, towards what looked like a make-shift ramp.

Rika screamed in response to my abrupt actions and resumed grabbing onto me. I was distracted once again, but only for a second before I concentrated on the ramp that was coming up. I stepped harder on the gas pedal and accelerated, closing in.

_Rrrrrr rrrrr_. The sound of the motorcycle engine was the only thing I heard. It roared in my ears as we were close to jumping the ramp. Closer and closer, the jump neared and I accelerated more each time. I felt the slight bump as the front wheel of the Ducati touched the uneven wood. In seconds, nothing was under us as we were soaring in the air. The once heavy motorcycle turned light as a feather. It was exhilarating. Never before have I had this feeling when I rode about in ATs. Jumping and doing tricks on this vehicle meant hours of tedious practice, unlike ATs for a Gravity Child. Those came natural, almost like an instinct. This was unfamiliar and I wanted to be able to master it.

The front wheel finally touched down onto a nearby roof and I braked immediately. I gazed back to the ramp from where we just jumped and felt a wave of pride. Remembering that Rika was in the passenger seat, I checked up on her. She was trembling, still gripping onto me tightly.

Realizing that the motorcycle had stopped, she raised her head and looked around.

"We're on the rooftops." She stated.

"Yes, the roads were too busy so I thought this would be a shortcut" I explained. She whipped her head towards me.

"Warn me the next time you do something crazy like that.." she said in a semi-serious tone. I couldn't help smile at her, but I didn't want her to see so I faced forward again and placed my foot on top of the gas pedal.

"We're starting again, be prepared!" I yelled over the roar of the engine. I heard her say something, but I couldn't make it out. Following her words, she wound her arms around me again. I took that as a sign that she was all set and raced off on the rooftops.

-  
>It took a bit longer than I had expected to reach the destination, but I guess it wouldn't matter too much. We finally arrived at the carnival by the pier. The bright lights and mechanical sounds echoed as I parked the Ducati.<p>

"Rika-san we're here" I called out. I slipped the helmet off and hung it on the Ducati's handle. She lifted her head from my shirt and spotted the carnival not too far off. I saw that she was about to open her mouth to speak, but I didn't have the time for it. Only a few short hours were left before I had to return to the tower. I cut her off by spinning her in the seat to face the side. An arm snaked underneath her legs and the other behind her back, lifting the slender body off the seat. I almost dropped her when she flung her arms behind my neck, but I luckily I recovered.

Although I noticed that grabbing things was a reflex when she was scared, it felt new and unfamiliar. She did hug me before, but only around the waist, not the neck. I practically lost the strength in my legs. Afraid that I was going to drop her, I tilted sideways and let her feet touch the floor before I took my arms back and stood upright. I cleared my throat.

"Ahem… ummm let's go to the carnival together Rika-san" I shyly muttered. Not waiting for a response, I gently grabbed her wrist and briskly walked towards the pier with her stumbling behind me. Tons of lights decorated the pier and the sound of the rides was abundant. People screaming and talking amongst themselves surrounded us as we passed the entrance.

"Wow I've never been to a carnival before. Everything is so pretty!" she awed. I then let go of her wrist.

"This is umm.. my first time too. I was hoping you'd be able to show me around, but since we're both inexperienced, let's create new memories between us." I stated while facing forward. I didn't want her to see my blush and hear the nervous tone in my voice. Not facing her gave me a new sense of confidence and allowed me to speak without stuttering or stammering.

I waited for her to say something, but instead felt something small and warm hand pull me forward. I looked down and saw that Rika had slipped her hand into mine. Instead of paying attention to the lights and sounds in our surroundings or even what Rika was saying, I concentrated particularly on the small hand that was grasping my own. _Her hand is so soft and warm. It's so small compared to mine._ I regained my footing and walked next to her instead of letting her drag me along. The pulling ceased. In its place was a lingering feeling that held us together. Our clasped hands just hung motionless by our sides, afraid that any movement would break the bond.

I removed my hand for a split second before I caught her hand and entwined my fingers in between hers. She looked up at me, shocked, but was quickly replaced with a soft smile. Her green eyes lit up along with the bright lights that adorned the stalls. _This feels right. It feels like our hands were meant to be together like this._ I smiled back as we walked about aimlessly, trying everything the carnival had to offer.

-  
>We were on the ferris wheel, sitting side by side in the carriage, observing everything as the carriage slowly rose. In the hours that we were at the carnival, we had tried every game, food, and ride that the carnival had to offer. Having never experienced any of these activities, I found it to be exciting and fun, especially since Rika was here with me enjoying it just as much. In the tower or with Sleeping Forest, I never had the chance to enjoy myself or relax. Every day we had to battle other storm riders in order to protect the Sky Regalia, which left us no time to do anything but.<p>

It felt good to go out like this, with no worries of battles or anything of the AT world. _Humans have it easy…_ I stared blankly into the dark ocean below as the carriage stopped at the very top.

"Whoa we're up so high!" a voice beside me exclaimed. I glanced sideways, observing the woman against the railing while holding a large stuffed bear in her lap. Her mouth was open in amazement as she nearly pressed her face against the glass. I chuckled inwardly. _That's adorable…how the Thorn Queen can be amazed by this height is amusing. Knowing her abilities, she's able to jump higher than this. _

While deep in my thoughts, I heard a sharp whistling sound and an explosion in the distance. I snapped out of it, startled to find a laughing Rika look at the shimmering lights that fell from the night sky. I didn't know what it was, but apparently it wasn't there to do any harm, so I relaxed my body.

"What was that?" I asked her.

"That was the first firework that they released. Don't worry, there's more!" she sat in her seat searching for the next to appear. I followed suit and looked out the glass. As she had said, more of these 'fireworks' were set ablaze out into the sky.

I watched as the burning stream of light was launched and exploded into dozens of other smaller streams, falling towards the ocean. Following the first, more and more were shot, lighting up the night.

"It's beautiful…"

"Yea.. it is... +70 points." I shortly went into my thoughts again and decided to put my newly-formed plan into action. I scooted closer and draped an arm around her. At my touch, she froze. I froze as well, not anticipating her reaction. _Did I do something wrong?_ Fearing the worst, I started to reel back my arm from her shoulders, but was immediately stopped. Rika suddenly moved closer to me and laid her head on the crook of my neck with the stuffed bear nestled below her chin. Surprised, but elated, I re-placed my arm around her and laid my head on top of hers. I felt her warm breath fan the bottom of my chin and felt her soft hair brush against my cheek. A peaceful feeling surrounded us. We continued to watch the fireworks light up until it was over and our carriage slowly rotated back down. All the while, we were still in the same position, both of us feeling hesitant to part from the bliss that overwhelmed our bodies.

-  
>The ride back was silent, but was peaceful. Rika wasn't as terrified of riding the motorcycle as she was hours ago. She felt courageous enough to look around while the Ducati was moving and raised her arms into the air, feeling the wind. She no longer held me in a death grip, but a light, affectionate one. She nestled the side of her face into my shirt, sending me waves of warmth. <em>I never want this day to end. <em>I smiled widely for the first time as I continued to drive through the streets.

Not long after, we reached the Noyamano household and I turned the engine off and yanked the helmet from my head. Rika soon got down and slipped my jacket from her body, holding it in her hand before she offered it back to me. I took it and casually hung it over the helmet, quickly getting down to accompany her as we scaled the steps to the door. We walked side by side with our arms occasionally brushing against each other, none of us uttering a word.

We finally reached the front door. From here, we could hear objects shattering and breaking as multiple roars sounded out. The noise continued, not letting up for a single second. Loud thuds would be occasionally mixed into the chaos. _Mikan is probably still punishing Crow. _I stared blankly up at the lit window on the second floor. The slight creak of the door opening caught my attention.

Without me noticing, she had unlocked the door and was already halfway into the house. She stopped for a moment, thinking about something before lifting her head to gaze at me.

"Thank you Kilik-san. I had a wonderful time tonight." She whispered. Flustered, I managed to respond.

"O-oh it's my pleasure Rika-san. I just kept our promise that's all~" My cheeks felt warm.

"Good night Rika-san." I flashed a smile before turning to the waiting Ducati at the bottom of the steps.

"Good night." She said as I heard the door creak close. Then it abruptly stopped. I didn't hear the usual click of the door locking and spun around.

To my surprise, as soon as I turned I saw Rika gliding towards me, her face moving extremely close towards mine. The only thing that I saw was her lush auburn hair lingering behind her before noticing that she was inches away from me. A thick paper-like object was placed into my hand as she continued to approach me. At the last second, she veered away and her lips quickly crashed into my cheek before she broke contact and shut the door behind her, leaving me standing outside completely frozen.

I raised a hand to my cheek. A finger gently grazed the area where her lips touched, still feeling the slightly moist markings. My cheeks were ablaze and felt hot. A glazed look crossed my eyes, remembering how soft her lips were.

"+85 points…" I whispered.

I started down the steps, still touching my cheek absentmindedly. Without looking at what the object that was in my hand, I stuffed it into my jean pockets. I couldn't stop thinking about it. _She kissed me. She kissed me! _I smiled widely as I stopped by the motorcycle. Without realizing it, I had started the engine and was already on the way back to the tower. I ignored the street lights and the honking cars as I zoomed past them. None of that really mattered to me.

Within minutes, I saw the massive tower appear in front of me. I continued down the road and stopped in a clearing right in front of the tower. I slid off the helmet and pushed the motorcycle into the empty steel room that was adjacent to the main entrance. I pulled the steel door shut as I exited the room, unexpectedly bumping into Sora.

His arms were crossed behind his head and a smile was plastered onto his face.

"So Kilik, how was your night out?" his tone had a slight taunt, which quickly annoyed me.

"It was good. Nothing special happened. What's it to you?" I retorted.

"Oh nothing. I was just out looking for you for half the day, that's all." He stared at me before he continued.

"I happened to hear from the others that you came back while I was gone and took off somewhere. Spitfire had said that you went to keep a promise to someone. Might I ask who that would be?" A low growl escaped from my mouth. _He's interrogating me! The smug bastard is interrogating me!_

"It's no one that you should be concerned over." I replied coldly as I entered the tower. I looked over my shoulder to see that Sora hadn't moved from his place and just stood there staring at me as I proceeded into the tower.

The door closed, enveloping me into a dark corridor. Living here for most of my life, I knew each corridor and room like the back of my hand. I swiftly crossed the adjacent corridors and passed the living room. Everyone was gathered in the room, either sitting on the couch or reading manga from the stack on the coffee table.

Sensing a presence, they gazed at me.

"Welcome back Kilik" Falco greeted.

"You're just in time too. Go get changed and meet us back here. We have a couple of storm rider teams that's opting to challenge us." Spitfire added. I strode across the room, quickly reaching the steel door that led to my room.

I slid into my room and changed into my battle uniform. Looking myself over, I removed the sunglasses and accessories. Feeling a strange small crease in my pockets, I sunk my hand underneath and fished it out. The thick paper touched the tips of my fingers and I grabbed it, pulling it out in one motion.

It was a fairly small, rectangular piece of paper that was slightly crumpled up. I carefully unfolded it, revealing its content. Inside, a small strip that was folded in half dropped to the floor. It fluttered, revealing fractions of color before it slid onto the floor. I stepped over to it and picked it up, looking at it. My eyes widened and my mouth agape. I gasped softly, which was then quickly replaced with a soft smile. The paper consisted of small pictures that we took in a photo booth. On the strip, there were 3 pictures of us smiling and laughing at the camera as we posed. I raised the hand that held the larger, rectangular paper level to my eyes.

The paper was actually a photograph of us by a food stall in the carnival. We were next to each other, heads touching as the picture captured our faces. In our hands were cotton candy sticks and ears of corn. Our faces were spotted with food as we were happily smiling.

I examined Rika's face in the picture. Her fingers were posed in a peace sign and the other was holding a cotton candy stick while clutching onto the stuffed bear in her lap. I on the other hand, had an arm draped over her shoulders and an ear of corn in the other. I was grinning even though I had bits of corn on my chin and a few scattered on my cheeks. I noticed that the crosses in my eyes were particularly bright in the picture. _That's odd. I normally see an outline of the crosses, but they never appeared so clearly like this. _

I decided to keep these pictures and scavenged the room for a picture frame. Luckily, I found one pushed in the far back of my closet. Sora had given this to me as a present a few years ago, after he stuck a photo of some bathing women in it. Annoyed, I threw the gift back at him, to his dismay.

In the end, he had kept the picture and gave me the empty frame instead, happily scampering away with his new obsession. Having no pictures, I dumped it in my closet, forgotten for several years. Now it finally had a purpose. I cradled the frame in my hands and carefully dusted it off. I neatly placed the small strip in the corner of the frame before I placed the other in. I examined the pictures one last time before I left it on the small table beside my bed.

I then swung the door open and closed it behind me, entering the living room where everyone waited.

"There you are Kilik. Alright, now that we're all set let's go beat the crap out of these shitty teams!" Sora exclaimed. He was the first to jump out of the tower, with the others following.

I stood in the tower for a moment before I followed as well.

We all flew in the air, leaping above houses and zoomed by tall buildings, finally landing on an empty freeway.

"Oh good you've decided to come to us. That saved us a heap of trouble" a rough voice called out.

"Riders, assemble!" A large group of masked riders appeared behind the man, ready to go into battle.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Sora smirk.

"Yeah yeah, you got a lot of shitty followers, we can see that, but you can never defeat the great Sleeping Forest! We'll finish you guys off in no time"

"Don't underestimate us so easily. Even if you guys are the guardians of the Sky Regalia and members of the undefeated Sleeping Forest, we still have a good chance of taking the regalia and ramming your reputation to the ground!" He shouted.

I shook my head. _This guy has no idea who he's dealing with. Such arrogance.._

"-20 points" I muttered.

"Let's rid of all this talk and get down to it" Dontores boomed.

"Hmm Big&Scary here is right. The game is Air. Good thing that you are familiar to the rules. It gets really tiring having to explain it all the time" Sora stated.

"Agreed." The man answered.

"Well alright then. Let's go!" Sora calmly responded as he let go of the inflated balloon that held the teams' emblems.

In no time, both teams launched themselves off the ground, battling for the floating emblems that determined the fate of the Sky Regalia.

-  
><strong>As you guys can see, Rika's POV was included for the first time! I've always wanted to do something like that, and thought 'why not? It'll be a refreshing change'. Hopefully I was right! :D<strong>

What'd you think of this chapter? R&R below~

HAPPY READING!


	11. Chapter 11: Fever

**Disclaimer: I don't own Air Gear or anything associated with Air Gear. Enjoy my first fan fiction!  
>-<strong>

It's been about two weeks since Sleeping Forest had battled against an aspiring AT team. Every team that challenged us for the regalia had failed miserably. In the end, they all walked away with lowered heads and tails between their legs as they dragged their heavily bruised bodies away. Since the last battle, things have been unusually quiet and uneventful. It's never this peaceful, especially since the Sky Regalia is constantly in danger of being in the hands of some lowly, ignorant storm rider. I scoffed aloud. _Tch as if I'd ever let that happen. I'd rather crawl through hell and back with shattered bones before letting a worthless being even set eyes on the Sky Regalia. Hmm now that I think about it, Rika hasn't been participating in battles lately…_

"Achoo!" I sniffled. I immediately reached for a tissue, but found that there wasn't a single one left in the box. I groaned in frustration as I carefully set down my book and hauled my body off the couch.

"Achoo!" I dragged my feet across the floor as I sluggishly searched for a fresh box of tissues. While crossing a corridor, a slim figure leaned casually against a doorway. I tried to lift my head to identify the mysterious person, but I didn't even have the energy to do that. I continued on my way, but then a bare foot stepped into my view.

"Urgh leave me be. I'm looking for something right now.." I muttered. Whoever it was, he or she either didn't hear me or ignored my words. The figure before me reached out and pushed my head upwards, forcing me to look up at the person. I immediately recognized the silent figure with a mess of fiery-orange hair.

"Kilik you don't look too good. Are you sick?" he asked as he twisted my head side to side.

"Ah of course I'm not!" I shot back as I slapped his hand away.

"I can't afford to be sick. I have lots of work to do, so if you'll just go on your way…" In the corner of my eye I saw a glimpse of a fist rushing towards me. A second later, before I could even blink, the fist connected and sent my senses flying. I staggered backwards as I rubbed my swollen cheek. I stared intensely at him, fuming in anger as I waited for him to say something. Lo and behold, he did.

"Illness slows the senses and dulls one's mind. If you were healthy you would've seen that strike long before and even squeeze in a counterattack." A low chuckle came from his throat.

"In fact, more than likely I'd go flying and tear another hole in the wall~" he looked up, smiling.

"Well, since you're sick how about getting some rest until you're better? Your work isn't going to progress much when you're sick, so might as well right?" A small smirk curled his lips.

I growled softly. _Damn. It'd be less humiliating if he didn't smirk! He's lucky that I'm not in perfect shape right now or else he __would__ be flying…_

Without a word, I shuffled my feet across the room, slightly brushing past the man in the doorway. Unaware of where I was going, I continued to drag my body about until I stopped in front of a familiar steel door. I quickly slid inside and shut the door behind me, not bothering to turn on the lights.

Feeling dizzy, I staggered towards the bed in front of me. Suddenly, my legs gave out and I found myself plummeting towards the cold floor. Luckily, I caught the end of the nightstand beside me and hauled myself up. Slowly opening my eyes, I noticed that my vision was blurry and the longer I held onto the nightstand, the worse it became. As I stood hunched over by the nightstand, I began to notice that my body felt very warm, warmer than usual. I was also out of breath and couldn't seem to get enough oxygen into my body.

"Huh..Huh…" I panted heavily as sweat started to roll down my face and back. Feeling my strength in my arm start to diminish, I released my grip on the nightstand and launched myself onto the bed before I stumbled backwards.

I felt the familiar thick blanket under my cheek as I lay sprawled on my bed, not bothering to change out of my stuffy clothes or getting under the covers. In an attempt to get some rest, I moved into a comfortable position and closed my eyes. Unfortunately, it was so hot that I couldn't get any rest at all. All the while, I kept tossing and turning in my bed with eyes forcefully closed. I let out a groan and turned towards the wall.

The next thing I knew, a ray of light shone in the room. I opened my eyes to see the hazy shadows of two figures on the wall. Too tired to turn to face them, I decided to continue observing the figures from their shadows on the wall. They were talking, but I couldn't hear what they were saying. I saw several gestures and a few that were pointed in my direction, but neither of them made a move to enter or leave. They just stood in the doorway talking to each other in hushed voices. I let out a soft groan, frustrated that I couldn't hear their conversation.

A moment later, one of the two stepped inside the room and pulled up a chair beside my bed. I heard the soft thump as the person sat down. I couldn't identify who the person was. _Is my illness affecting my performance that much?_ I instinctively clutched the thick blanket. A soft rustling sounded and then a cool hand was pressed against my forehead. I involuntarily gasped at the gentle touch and swung my entire body towards the person. For a split second, my vision was blurry, but soon cleared up for a moment. I took advantage of this and looked directly at whoever was before me.

Both of our eyes widened as soon as we made contact. The hand that was placed on my forehead was pulled back and hovered in the air inches away from where it once lay. Long auburn hair spilled everywhere around the figure's body.

"Rika-san!" I exclaimed as I immediately sat up, feeling a sharp pain in my head.

"Urgh…" I winced. I glanced at her and saw her lips part, attempting to speak, but then she quickly closed them.

"Rika-san what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be taking care of Mikan and the others?".

"Mm but I couldn't help feeling guilty that I haven't been pulling my weight in the team so I decided to drop by." I was about to reply, but was interrupted by another voice.

"Ne, you should be jumping for joy that Rika-chan came to visit us Kilik" We both turned around to find Ine standing in the middle of the doorway with arms across her chest.

I growled. "I never said that I wasn't…"

"You don't seem to look the part though" she shot. I ignored her reply.

"What are you doing here Ine? You're not supposed to be back for another week."

She uncrossed her arms and stuffed her hands into her large coat pockets. Her hand shortly came back up, revealing a cigarette grasped in between her fingers. Her other hand came up to reveal a silver lighter with her initials engraved in the front. Almost automatic, she lifted the cigarette to her lips and lit it, leaving a reddish glow on her face. She took a puff or two before removing the cigarette from her mouth. The remaining smoke wafted up into the air and left behind a dingy smell. _Must she do that here? There's a sick person present in the room!_ I sighed.

"I'm a doctor. I'm supposed to be caring for the sick and needy, which in this case is you sir. I would consider a major figure of Sleeping Forest to be more of a priority than the others that could be easily attended to at the hospitals. Aren't you glad to see me? I even brought Rika-chan along to care for you~" She flashed a mischievous grin.

I dropped my eyes towards her feet, unwilling to show my annoyed expression and the creeping blush.

"You didn't have to do that you know…" I muttered.

"Well I figured that since I'm most likely going to be gone for long periods of time, someone needs to be able to care for you darlings and I happened to come across Rika-chan! Isn't that right?" She turned to the sitting Rika who looked lost.

"Eh right, Ine-san!" she chirped.

"Right, so the first thing is to identify what kind of sickness Kilik has. What do you have so far?"

"Ah when I felt his temperature, his forehead felt very warm and he's sweating quite a bit"

"Is that so? Well now it shouldn't be too serious. I think Kilik just has a fever…in that case, I'll leave everything to you Rika-chan~ Toodle-oo!" She whipped her body around and calmly left the doorway, waving goodbye.

"-35 points.." I whispered to myself.

"Eh? Err… I guess I'm gonna be your nurse for now Kilik-san" she smiled. I glanced at her for a split second before looking straight back down at the ground again, feeling my cheeks become warm.

"Y-yeah I guess so." I stammered. I heard the sound of a fist colliding with a hand combined with the sound of the chair's wheels moving.

"Yosh! Alright let's get this fever down!" I couldn't help smile at her words. _So enthusiastic over a minor thing.. +10 points._

"Don't worry I'm completely capable of taking care of these kinds of things. Ringo and Ikki get sick quite often." She explained as she sat back down.

"Okay, the first thing that you should probably do is get rid of those stuffy clothes!" a slender finger pointed at my chest. I automatically looked down to see what she was pointing at even though I knew what she was talking about. Without a word, I began to unbutton the jacket.

My vision was still rather blurry and I couldn't control my fingers very well. Clumsily, I managed to undo one of the buttons. As I was about to continue on to the second, suddenly small hands grasped mine and casually pushed them aside. The hands were unbuttoning the jacket at what looked like lightning speed, but that was probably due to my poor vision. Sweat was still trickling down the side of my face and down my neck.

I felt the front of the jacket open up, indicating that all the buttons were undone. I felt Rika lean closer and pull the jacket backwards, relieving a small weight from my shoulders. As the jacket slid off, I felt a pleasant wind cross my sweating body. Our bodies were merely inches away from each other. Her hair brushed against my cheek as the sleeves of the jacket were removed from my arms. I tilted my head, letting her hair sweep over me. Her shoulder was practically pressed against my face and I looked down for a moment. I then noticed that Rika wasn't wearing her battle uniform. In its place was a thin white low-cut shirt. My eyes widened when I realized that her breasts were almost touching my nose. My cheeks flared up in an instant and I automatically looked in another direction. _It isn't right for me to look at her like that. It's not appropriate for a gentleman!_ Wanting to take her breasts off of my mind, I concentrated on something else and chose the locks of hair that were splayed over my face.

I slowly inhaled, breathing in her sweet scent. I lifted a free hand to bring a bundle of her hair closer to my face. _Mmm she has a pleasant smell, like a mixture of berries and herbs._ I closed my eyes and drowned in her fragrance.

**Rika's POV-**

_Damn it why is this jacket so hard to take off? Is this a bulletproof vest or something? He really is crazy!_

At one point I couldn't push it back any further without moving closer to him. I leaned in, still clutching onto the jacket's collar while sliding the jacket off. I was so close that I felt the immense heat radiate from his body. _Oh God this man is literally on fire! I can practically see steam fumes come from his back! …Wait, am I hallucinating? No I'm not! Am I? _ I debated deeply within my mind, unaware of a hand twirling my hair or a sudden weight on my shoulder. I just mindlessly worked on taking the thick jacket that seemed to be glued to his skin. I continued to remove the thick jacket from his body, slowly freeing his shoulders then eventually his arms.

_If someone were to come in right now, what would he think of us when he sees me so close to Kilik? Would the team think of me differently? Oh no! I can't have that happen! I refuse to!_

Remembering that I was nursing Kilik, I slightly turned my head to see his face. His eyes were closed and his mouth was curled up into a soft smile. _He looks so peaceful…is he sleeping?_ Not wanting to rudely disturb him, I slowly pulled away. I stood up from the bed and sat down on the chair I had placed earlier, draping his jacket on the chair's back.

"Feel any better?"

"Mmhm I do. It's a lot cooler now. Thank you Rika-san"

I smiled when he whispered my name. I couldn't help it. It felt like an automatic response whenever he said my name. It kinda naturally rolls off his tongue. I felt a slight blush begin to heat up my cheeks and quickly stood up.

"Since you have a fever, I'm gonna go grab a towerl for you and bring in some food. Is there anything that you want specifically?" I calmly asked. Even though my voice sounded cool and collected, my heart was beating so fast that I thought it might burst if I continued to stay in the room.

"Umm no there's nothing. It's your choice Rika-san."

"Okay, get comfortable and I'll be right back!" I chirped as I opened the door and walked out.

**Sora's POV-**

"Aaahhh" I yawned. I lazily scratched my sides and dragged my feet along.

"Damn how come nothing's happening lately? Where are all those ambitious storm riders that want to claim the Sky Regalia for themselves? It's so freakin' boring!—"

"—comfortable and I'll be right back!"

"Hmm?" I peered around the corner and found Rika leaving a room and head towards the kitchen. My eyes followed her as she bounced to the kitchen, but then shifted over to the room from where she came out.

"What was she doing?" I walked closer and saw that it was Kilik's room.

"That stiff-ass bastard…" I muttered. I picked up my pace and deftly pushed the steel door open and closed it behind me. In that moment, I saw him wince at the sudden light and cover his eyes with a corner of the blanket. Grinning, I strode towards the chair besides the bed and plopped down on it. Something on the nightstand caught my eye. I glimpsed at the object from the corner of my eye and saw something unexpected. My mouth slightly opened, ready to fire questions nonstop, but I thought against it. Placed neatly on the nightstand was a framed picture of Kilik and Rika together. I observed their expressions and felt a bit of jealousy in my heart.

"So Kilik what's been happening that you need Rika to care for you hmm? Are you making her work as part of a deal?" Although I was grinning, my tone was icy and a bit of anger could be detected.

An audible sigh of frustration escaped from his mouth.

"No Sora I'm not forcing her to do anything nor did I make a deal with her. I've got a fever right now because you had us fight the last battle in such hellish weather. Ine came by a while ago and assigned Rika-san to take care of us while she's gone."

"Oh is that so? Well it looks like she's gonna have to stay here for a long time, because nearly half of the team has gone down with some kind of sickness~ I'm one of the only ones that is completely healthy! I was hoping that I wouldn't get sick so I wouldn't have to be treated by Ine, but since Rika is doing her job I wish I _was_ sick! Haha!" I grabbed my sides and leaned back into the chair with my head tilted back towards the ceiling. I immediately resumed my position.

"So what's it like to have her as a nurse? It must be wonderful right? Just even glancing her idol-like body is enough to make any man hot and willing to do anything~ am I right Kilik?" I leaned over and nudged his shoulder with my elbow.

"Don't touch me…"

"Ooh~ why you gotta be so serious Kilik? I mean, we're both Gravity Children aren't we?"

"That is not relevant…" he coldly responded. I merely smirked at his answer.

"I gotcha. Alright then Kilik I found a way to get Rika to come by my room. I want you to give me your sickness!" I exclaimed as I lunged at him. I grabbed hold of his shoulders and trapped him in my arms.

"Come on give it~ I'd do anything to be sick right now! If only I knew Ine wouldn't be here!~" I whined. All the while I was rubbing the side of my face against his.

"Get off me, Sora! Doing this is not going to get you anything!" A hand broke free and shoved my face away.

"Yesss it will! I'll get to have one of my fantasies come to life!" I exclaimed, struggling against his hand.

"Pervert! -30 points! You should be dangling upside down from Tokyo Tower—" at the sound of the door opening, we both froze on the spot. Our heads simultaneously turned towards the figure standing in the doorway.

"Umm…" she started

"Rika-san this isn't what it looks like. This idiot here was just trying to—"

"—I was just trying to become closer to Kilik here~ lately we haven't been talking to each other and frankly I've been so lonely without him!~" I jokingly said. I hugged him tightly, feeling his body tense and automatically retract. A plan coming into mind, I released my hold on him and stood in front of Rika. I grinned from ear to ear.

"Rika I'm really sick too~ would you come into my room later and take care of me?" I inwardly chuckled.

"Ehh sure Sora-kun! But right now I have to take care of Kilik-san and the rest of the team. If you're sick then you should get some rest" She walked past me and placed a tray on the nightstand.

Watching her walk by put a slight frown on my face, but was quickly replaced by another grin.

"Great! I'll see you then! Don't forget Rika!" I echoed while strolling back to my room. I crossed my arms behind my head, thinking about the upcoming day. I faintly heard the sound of Kilik ranking me again and softly smiled to myself.

**Kilik POV-**

I was glaring at his back as he walked out the door.

"-25 points!" I blankly stated.

"Kilik-san do you hate Sora-kun?" said a silky voice. I turned towards the figure standing before me, looking at her green eyes. I never expected her to ask me that.

"No it's not like that Rika-san!" My body was rigid with my hands pushing against the bed on either side of me.

"It's not like I hate him, he's just been like that for the longest time and this is how I normally respond to his antics." I explained. For a brief moment, I saw her eyes wander towards the floor in thought.

"Oh that's good…" she whispered. Her response confused me. _Is the way we interact offensive? What does it have to do with her? …does she have feelings for him?_ I froze and began to observe her. _No it can't be. She's probably just worrying over him just like any other person. She's a caring person like that!_ The more I thought about it, the more depressed I became. I realized that my emotions clearly showed on my face when I felt Rika stare at me. I tried to look up into her eyes, but I couldn't. The thought of her being with someone else was too painful.

Rika sat down on the side of the bed, dipping as it moved under her weight. In the corner of my eye I saw her pick up a cloth from the tray she had put on the nightstand earlier and carefully fold it.

"Kilik-san please come closer, I need to check your temperature" she stated. I looked at her for a minute before reverting back to my original position. _Rika-san please just leave me to my thoughts…_

I felt a cool hand tug the side of my face. I stared at the hand's owner with wide eyes, surprised at her sudden action. The hand that was settled on my face then moved up to my forehead, brushing away the strands of hair that fell over my eyes.

"It looks like your fever has gotten better, but you still should stay in bed. Here this'll help." She held up a folded blue cloth up to my head and slowly placed it underneath my bangs. The wet towel felt good on my hot skin. I sighed in response.

A hand reached out and pressed against my damp chest, gently pushing me back down onto the pillow. I felt increasingly tired for some reason. _Maybe it was because of the sickness? The warm treatment she's giving me? Perhaps I'm just tired of living this way…_

"Rest, Kilik-san. I'll come back to check up on you later to see how your fever's doing. Get better soon." She whispered.

"Mmm alright then. Thank you for everything you've done for us—" I yawned and felt my eyes become heavier. I positioned myself in a more comfortable way, beginning to feel sleep's powerful attraction bringing me closer. Before I fell asleep, I felt Rika's hand push away my bangs and caress my face. Words came from her mouth, but I couldn't hear them. I wanted to open my eyes, but I didn't have any more energy to use. I was immediately detached from the outside world.

-  
><strong>Alright! The latest chapter is finally complete~ I thought that the other characters weren't getting any spotlight, so I decided to have Sora included in his view! How was it? (:<strong>

**Also, I'm sorry that I haven't been able to update the story for a while. I've been busy with hw lately~ Thanks to all who've been loyal readers! I really appreciate it LOL~**

**UNTIL NEXT TIME!~**


	12. Chapter 12: Blessing

**Disclaimer: I don't own Air Gear or anything associated with Air Gear. Enjoy my first fan fiction!  
>-<strong>

**Rika POV-**

I stood up, prepared to walk out the door to attend to the other Sleeping Forest members when I saw a bulky object on the nightstand. I quickly glanced towards the peacefully sleeping man under the sheets before taking the object in my hands. It was rectangular with black edges that shone even in the room's dim light. I brought it up closer to my face, realizing what it contained. They were the pictures that I had slipped into Kilik's hand the night we went to the carnival!

_I didn't think he would keep it. I figured he would look at the pictures and dump it a drawer or something…_

I took my eyes off the two pictures and settled on the lightly snoring figure beside me. My eyes drooped a bit as I watched his chest slowly rise up and down.

"If only you hadn't given me your jacket that night Kilik-san. Whatever you were doing since then might have induced your fever, but I know that you became sick in my stead." I said aloud.

"What lengths are you willing to go to for my sake?" I added as I scratched the back of my head. Remembering that there were other sick members in the tower, I carefully placed the frame back on the nightstand and glided out the door.

I softly closed the heavy door behind me and went about searching for the other members. I walked down the corridors, memorizing each route and their destination. No one was in sight. It was as if the tower had been abandoned. The occasional creaking and muffled voices were the only things that proved otherwise.  
>-<p>

I made a few turns and reached a similar steel door. From within, sheets were shuffling and coughing was heard. Bottles were clanking and other things were clattering. I firmly balled my fist and pounded it against the edge, the sound of the metal rumbling in the hallway.

"Who is it?" an irritated voice responded

"It's me, Rika"

The door was suddenly pushed aside, revealing a slightly disheveled Sora standing in the doorway.

"Rika! I was beginning to think you forgot about me~" he smirked.

"I'm just keeping my promise to Ine-chan. I'm here to check up on everyone in her place until she comes back" I explained.

"Well come in! I've got a nasty illness that I think you should check out" he gushed as he ushered me into the room, closing the door.

**Kilik POV-**

I awoke to the blinding moonlight that penetrated my room. I groaned as I shielded my eyes from the light that was directed towards me. Defeated, I forced my body to sit up instead of attempting to drift back to sleep.

I lugged my body upright, feeling a soft breeze pass through my damp, clingy t-shirt. I shivered at the sudden change in temperature. I then noticed something cold and heavy was sliding down my forehead. As I reached up to grab the unknown object, it fell into my lap. I looked down and cradled it in my hand, trying to identify what it was.

"Isn't this…"

Then it hit me. The moments before I became a victim to sleep poured into my head. Fuzzy images of Rika hovering over me with caring eyes formed in my mind. Right before I fell asleep, she had taken the chilled towel and placed it over my forehead. I firmly pressed the cloth in between my fingers and felt it.

"It's still cold. She must've replaced it recently." I clenched my fist and quickly swung out of bed, throwing the covers aside. In my rush, I nearly hit the chair that was perched beside my bed with my jacket draped over its back. Unwilling to cause an accident, I grabbed the chair and put it back in its original position by the desk before dashing out the door, tightly holding onto the pin-striped blazer in my hand. I wasn't sure what got ahold of me, but whatever it was, it strongly compelled me to go find Rika. A nagging voice from the back of my head echoed in the dark depths of my mind.

"_Find her. Find her before it's too late." _it whispered. I swung the steel door open and sprinted towards the nearest room. I didn't even bother to close the door as I normally did.

_What am I preventing her from? What is my purpose?_ The voice didn't answer my questions. Instead, it kept repeating that one phrase, slowly driving me crazy. I desperately wanted to know what was to happen if I didn't find her in time. _Since my conscious won't allow me to rest, I have no choice but to do as it says and pursue her._

I skidded to a stop in front of another familiar door. I repeatedly knocked on the door, waiting for someone to respond. I grew increasingly impatient and forced the door open, allowing rays of light to shine in the dark room. A head of messy orange hair shifted as the steel door banged against the wall. The figure curled in the bed with a cloth covering his forehead groaned as he adjusted his eyes to the sudden light. He gradually rose to a sitting position, letting the cloth fall onto the floor.

I didn't waste another second. I strode across the room and was face to face with the dazed Spitfire. I stood over him with slightly clenched fists. Not allowing him the chance to speak, I urgently grabbed his shoulders and shook him out of his stupor.

"Spitfire, tell me where Rika went!" I continued to shake him out of his sleepiness.

"What's. the. matter?" he uttered in intervals. I flung him onto the bed and drew back my arms.

"I need to know where she is. I know you know."

"Ugh" he groaned as he held his head. "She went back home to care for the kids as soon as she finished treating everyone. She left about two hours ago."

"Did anyone follow after her?" I felt anxious for some reason. I couldn't place my finger on why though.

"No, not that I know of." Spitfire looked up at me with blank eyes. I thought I saw his eyes shimmer for a split second. "Actually, I believe Sora left not too long ago. He said that he had to get some fresh air or something, not too sure."

The anxiousness grew. I muttered his score and quickly thanked Spitfire before slamming the door behind me. I grabbed my ATs and slipped them on. I was about to go open the main entrance, but then stopped.

"…I'm on the 5th floor…" I covered my face with my hand in annoyance. _Going down to the main entrance would take too much time. The other entrances are too far from here._

It was then that an idea came forth. I dashed to the nearest window and pushed it open. I crawled through the tight space, clinging onto the windowsill for support. I hauled each of my legs out the window, dangling freely in the air. The hand that was clinging onto the windowsill let go and I was free falling down towards the ground. I angled my legs, twisting my body so that I moved closer to the metal walls lining the tower. My ATs gripped the wall and my body was speeding downwards rapidly. I hunched my body so that the air resistance would quickly pass over me, increasing my speed. I calculated the time allotted before I would reach the ground. My legs pushed off the wall and I was soon gliding in the air. Buildings and other miniscule objects passed quickly beneath me.

I landed on a nearby rooftop and proceeded towards the Noyamano household.

The night was turning into dusk as I touched down on the ground in front of the steps that led to the Noyamano house. Sweat dripped from my face and back and I was panting heavily.

_That's unusual…I normally don't get this tired like this so easily…_

I took a deep breath and positioned myself in a racing-like stance. I pushed off the ground and grinded up the concrete railings lining the steps. Nearing the front door, I jumped off about a meter away. My ATs made a thunking sound as it made contact with the ground. My heart was beating rapidly and I felt somewhat dizzy.

I extended a hand out to knock on the door, but before my knuckles touched the wood, the door suddenly swung open. In the middle of the doorway stood Rika wearing a light green apron that wound around her waist. Her mouth was slightly parted and I heard her softly gasp.

Even through my increasingly fuzzy vision, I saw her green eyes shine brightly in contrast to her lengthy auburn hair. Her features remained clearer than everything else. She still had a hand on the doorknob, not moving from her place or giving a response.

"Rika…" I breathlessly called out. I was still panting as I stood slightly hunched by the door. My body suddenly felt heavier. I wanted to take a step towards her, but my body refused to listen to my request. Before I could even comprehended what was happening, I saw the ground rushing towards my face. A pair of firm hands stopped my path downwards. I felt a warm arm encircle the back of my shoulder and another tightly holding my upper arm. My head came into contact with something warm and soft. I didn't have the strength to move my body or even open my eyes and just lay motionless. My entire body was limp and devoid of energy. The only parts of my body that seemed to be functioning were my shaky breathing and my pulsing heart.

My body began to sink lower and I faintly heard Rika call someone over. Shuffling feet rushed over and another pair of hands grabbed my arms. For a moment, I was lifted higher and then felt two sturdy entities underneath my arms. Each of my wrists was covered by a hand and a set of hands were around my back, dragging my body inside. The door was shut behind us and I was led further into the house. My head hung loosely, bouncing along with the various movements. After some time, the entities beneath my arms slid away and lowered me onto the floor. At this point, I was still sweating quite a bit. My body felt hot and seemed to only become hotter. I couldn't get enough oxygen through my nostrils, so my mouth had to supply it. Even so, I had to take big gulps of air to satisfy my body. I calmed down a bit when something cool swept over my forehead. The cloth dropped down to my cheeks, chin, and then around my neck. I slowly opened my eyes and a blurry figure was kneeling beside me. I could only catch a glimpse of auburn hair before my eyes closed again.  
>-<p>

**Rika POV-**

I took the cloth that I used to wipe Kilik's sweat off and submerged it into the basin of water next to me. I lifted the cloth and wringed it, leaving a good amount of cool water soaked into it. I grasped his arm with a hand and lifted it, dabbing his skin with the other. I did the same with his other arm. Mikan came in, holding a fresh towel in her hand. She extended it towards me.

I looked up at her, surprised.

"This is unlike you Mikan. You don't normally care for anyone else's sake except for our family's."

"Tcch I can't just ignore someone in need when he's right in front of me. That's wrong!" she retorted. I just smiled to myself and took the towel from her hand.

I dunked it into the basin and wringed it a bit before gently laying it over his forehead. I stood up and faced the pink-haired girl.

"Mikan, can you get a blanket down here?"

She nodded and strolled upstairs to find a blanket. I could faintly hear Ikki and Ringo's yells from above. Following Ikki's voice came a loud thump. I shook my head.

_That boy…_

I turned towards the sleeping man on the couch. My eyes softened as my gaze settled on his face and his peaceful features. His white hair was splayed all over from where his head rested. I lowered my knees onto the ground and leaned in. I raised my hand and gently brushed away his bangs and lightly stroked my hand down the side of his face.

A low moan rumbled deep in his throat. I couldn't help but smile at the action, but then that smile quickly disappeared.

"Kilik…why did you come here? What was your reason to push aside your health to be here?" I whispered to his sleeping face.

At that moment, Mikan came down the stairs with a bundle in her arms. She jumped from the last two steps and approached me. Only parts of her short hair that stuck up were visible behind the bundle.

"Here Rika-nee. Anything else?" she replied with a hint of sarcasm. I decided to ignore it and took the bundle from her.

"No, that's all for now. You can continue watching your show."

Mikan cracked a smile and eagerly set off for the living room.  
>"Just holler if you need anything from me" she called out from the hallway. I smirked in her direction. My hand scoured the large bundle and gripped the ends. In a single motion, I grabbed the other corner of the same end and whipped out the blanket. It unrolled as it floated in the air and gently fell upon the sleeping figure. I tried to smooth out the wrinkles, listening to his soft breathing and felt his chest rhythmically rise.<p>

I lowered my head above his heart and closed my eyes. _Thump thump thump.  
><em>I laid my head on his chest for about 3 minutes, listening for irregularities in his heartbeat. Satisfied, I drew back and stood up. My hands reached around behind me and tightened the apron knot. Without a word, I walked down the hallway, passing by a relaxed Mikan lying on her arm with her eyes glued onto the television screen. I watched her for a moment before I went past, silently retreating back to my work.  
>-<p>

**Kilik POV-**

I awoke to a heavenly smell wafting up to my nose. My eyes snapped open and I saw an unfamiliar ceiling. The room was warm, unlike the tower and had a close, homey feeling. Underneath my hands, I felt a blanket covering my body and the familiar damp cloth on my forehead. Unaware of where I was, I sat up at a 90 degree angle. My tattooed eyes analyzed the room and my eyes settled on a rough pink-haired girl carrying a tray of food. She approached me very casually and set down the tray onto the table beside me. _Mikan? ...I'm in Rika's home?_

"Eat up" she commanded. She placed her hands on her waist as she glared at me.

I decided to not cause any trouble and took the bowl into my hand. The smell of rice rose and filled my nostrils. I took the chopsticks and pinched the steaming meat before bringing it up to the bowl. I took a bite and the meat practically melted in my mouth. One by one, the food disappeared.

I sighed, satiated. I set down the bowl onto the tray.

"Looks like you really enjoyed that" said the pink-haired girl. I gave a half-smile and felt my eyes become heavier.

"Yes, I did. Where I live, we don't normally eat cooked meals like this. We just eat ramen and whatever else we can get our hands on."

"It's…actually really nice to be able to eat someone's meal like this" I added. She snorted in response.

"Looks like the stiff has feelings after all~" she teased. "Wait'll Rika-nee hears about this when she comes back!"

My ears perked up and I looked straight up into her eyes.

"Comes back?" I questioned.

"Yea, she left right before you woke up. Said she had to go meet someone or something. As long as she doesn't get hurt or in trouble, it's really none of my business" She shrugged. The nagging voice returned and continued to whisper into my ear.

I stood up and thanked the tomboy for her hospitality. I turned around and started to fold the jumbled blanket.

"Wait a minute, tattoo-eyes." She went up and grabbed my shoulders, spinning me around to face her. "Were you after Rika-nee this whole time? Is that why you came to our house?"

Her eyes were fierce and unrelenting. I couldn't dodge from this one, so I just told her the truth.

"..Yes...I am. I need to find her and tell her something important." I felt nervous and gazed down on the floor. Nothing else was said in that moment. It was just her staring and me and me staring at the floor. _What kind of behavior is this? This is unacceptable._

"Fine, I'll let you go."

My eyes widened and I whipped my head to her. I searched her eyes with my own, looking for any falsity in her words. I was about to open my mouth to speak, but then she held up her hand.

"If you're looking for her so badly, you shouldn't be wasting your time here trying to decode my words. I said I'll let you chase after her, and I intend to do so."

I was taken aback. _She just gave me permission to go after her sister so easily?_ It certainly was a shock, but she was right. I had to find her before it was too late, whatever 'it' is. I thanked her once again and stormed out the door, filled with a new sense of motivation and hope. I jumped onto the rooftop and looked out into the horizon. Rows and rows of houses were in every direction. The voice told me to go to the city.

I did as advised, and headed towards the bustling city. The sky was dark, but was dotted with dozens of stars. It was quite beautiful. I leaped into the air, listening to the whirring sounds of the ATs as it led me into the sky. After some time, I finally reached the city. Lights that identified stores and businesses shone brightly and a heavy stream of cars lined the streets._ How am I going to find Rika in all this?_

I decided to aimlessly go about. On top of a tall building, there stood a lone figure standing motionless on the roof. The figure's long hair blew in the wind. I was elated that I managed to find Rika and dropped down onto the rooftop. I landed behind a wall and was about to step out to greet her until another figure dropped down right in front of her. I kept back and watched, trying to identify the mysterious man. I narrowed my eyes, trying to distinct his features. To no avail, I stepped a bit closer, but still kept out of sight.

I saw the figure with messy hair and an aviator hat sitting on his head. Black hair spilled out from under the hat. He was thin and looked like a reckless delinquent. I saw white wraps cover his arms—

_Wraps? _Then it hit me. The man that was standing in front of Rika was none other than Sora!  
>-<p>

**Sorry faithful readers for the absence. I really got into Code Geass and just recently finished the series. For those who haven't read/seen it, I strongly, STRONGLY recommend that you do! It's like my number 1 right now~  
>The good news is that I'm now writing a fanfiction story on it, so if you'd like to check it out you can go to my profile and find it underneath the Author's Stories tab. No worries, there's only like 2 entries in there…<strong>

**Again, thank you readers for keeping hope and I will see you later!**


	13. Chapter 13: Without Hope

**Disclaimer: I don't own Air Gear or anything associated with Air Gear. Enjoy my first fan fiction!  
>-<strong>

I stood glued to the shadows of the wall. My sharp eyes locked onto the two motionless figures out in the open. I watched Sora's mouth move and his grin grow wider upon every passing minute. All the while, I felt anxious as the conversation dragged on. Deep in my gut, I had a feeling that Sora wasn't there for just a talk with Rika. There was something else that he had in mind.

_But what is he planning to do?_

I poked my head further out from the corner to get a better look. Their bodies were slightly tilted at an angle, neither of them fully facing me nor fully turning away. I had a bit of a view of the side of Rika's face to decipher her facial expressions. At that moment, Sora brought down his raised arms and reached out towards Rika. In his wrapped hands, he took her hands in his and he stepped closer. Their bodies were inches apart, a new intimacy forming in the air about them. I stood in horror and reflexively whipped my arm up towards my chest. I clutched my pinstripe coat and balled up the cloth in my tense fingers. What I saw next practically killed me. I watched painstakingly as Rika gently lifted her head up to match Sora's. He was smiling, which looked suspiciously mischievous in my eyes. I couldn't help stare. The two gazed into each other's eyes for a moment before advancing. Their faces moved closer and their lips met.

A peaceful demeanor swept over their faces. The particularly calm expression on Rika's gave the final blow. An acute pain shot through my chest. I tore my eyes away and forced them to look out into the city. The lights flickered and shone brightly in the starry sky. The hand above my heart tightly grasped the coat in both anger and sadness. I turned my head around the corner once again for a last look. Sora and Rika were now lying on the floor passionately kissing with desperately wandering hands. I felt my heart sink deep and squeezed my eyes shut. I quickly retreated behind the safety of the wall and slammed my clenched fist onto its side. My knees grew weak and I felt my body being pulled closer to the earth. I took in deep breaths in attempt to compose myself.

It did help to an extent. It allowed me the strength to at least support myself from falling. My ATs softly whirred as I stumbled further from the heart-wrenching scene. I reached the building's railing. I looked down over the edge and saw a steady stream of cars carelessly going their ways. Behind me, sounds of light moans and groaning filled my ears. I shut my eyes once again and jumped over the wall. The harsh wind battered my face as I free-fell down towards the ground. I regained my senses and curled myself into position. I shot an arm backwards while the other went in front. My body naturally hunched. I thrust my legs out and touched the building. My feet were firmly planted on the building's side. I could hear the screech of the ATs and caught a glimpse of sparks flying behind me. In no time, I was accelerating at lightning speed. As I continued down, a moving truck caught my eye. My legs pushed off from the building and aimed for the back of the truck. A hollow clang resonated as the ATs made contact. I leaped from its back and went about the city aimlessly. Images of Rika and Sora haunted my mind.

My heart ached and my eyes began to sting. Soon, my vision began to get blurry and I couldn't see anything but the outline of buildings. I hurriedly wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my coat. After what seemed like hours of traveling, I managed to somehow end up back at the tower. I slammed my fist on the button that activated the main entrance and stalked inside. My eyes narrowed and I felt a dangerous aura exude from my body. No one seemed to be inside. I marched from corridor to corridor and found it to be deathly silent. I reached my room, slid inside, and firmly closed the door. Anger swept over my body. I felt entirely numb from it and lost control.

"RAAHH!" I roared.

I tore off my coat and I reached out for the closest thing and hurled it clear across the room into the steel wall. **It felt good. **Feeling bits of anger leave my body, I reached for another object nearby and threw it to another wall. It crashed and shattered all over the floor. The sound was like a drug to me. I continued on my rampage until I had nothing left to throw. Anger left me and was replaced with sadness. My body felt heavy and leaned backwards onto the door. Gradually, I was pulled downwards to the floor. It felt cold and hollow, just like my heart.

"How can this happen to me? Something good finally comes into my life and it's taken away by someone else! God, do you despise me so? For being created not from your will, but of someone else's? Do you not consider me enough to receive your grace?"

My face dropped into the palm of my hands. I felt my strands of my hair slink down and drape over my fingers. I sat there hunched over as my body trembled. A moment later, I gained enough strength to drag myself over to my futon. I stood by it, stretched out my hands, and dropped flat onto the bed. I turned my head to the side and gazed at the picture of Rika and me. I grunted and raised a hand up to it. Reluctantly, I grabbed the top of the frame and slammed it down onto the nightstand. I faced the other way and let merciful sleep take over.  
>-<p>

I looked around and saw nothing but pitch black. I was all alone and I didn't know where I was supposed to go. I ran aimlessly, but couldn't find a lead to anything. Everything was so empty and lonely. I started to give up. I clutched my heart and felt it beat.

A gentle white light appears at my feet. I look up to its source and find a figure standing before me. My cross-embedded eyes widen.

"Rika?" I asked incredulously.

She closed her eyes and smiled softly at me. She wore her battle uniform as well as her ATs. She grinned widely and held out her hand towards me. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I wanted to release the feelings that were welling up inside me and let go; let go and hold onto the woman who stood before me. Her hand was so inviting. I desperately wanted to take hold of it and let her lead me anywhere. My hand felt heavy. It took all my strength to lift it up to her and drop it in her palm.

_Her hand fits in perfectly with mine. Is this a sign?_

As soon as our hands touched, the pitch black surrounding melted away into beautiful scenery. We were now in what looks like the mountains. Trees were all around and the sky was brilliantly blue. Puffy clouds floated lazily across the sky and the sun shined brightly on our faces. I smiled and looked down on Rika's cheerful face. We broke into a run and flew towards the horizon, our hands never separating. Our laughs rang in the air.

Everything felt good, everything felt right. I wished it was like this, us being together with nothing to break us apart. I quickly found out that my wish was not meant to come true. The bright sky was overwhelmed with darkness. Rika and I stopped and looked up, fear rising in our bodies. We turned to look at each other. The next thing I knew, a hooded figure swooped down and tore her away from me. The figure laughed a deep throaty laugh as it flew with Rika in his arms.

"Rika!" I screamed. I screamed at the top of my lungs as I fought to keep up with the hooded man. I struggled with all my strength and began to close the distance between us. I was merely a meter or two away from him.

"Kilik!" her hands were outstretched towards me.

"Rika!" I shouted back as I reached towards her hand with my own. The tips of our fingers grazed against each other before she was pulled away once again. The man accelerated and stopped atop of a grassy hill. The hood swayed in the wind, revealing a smiling face. The hood was then pulled backwards by a wrapped arm. Sora's features appeared and my blood began to boil.

Before I had the chance to say anything, he leaped into the air above me and disappeared. His maniacal laugh filled my ears. I hurriedly searched for Sora and Rika, jumping about the area. No one else was in sight. I was alone again. When I was close to giving up, I heard a faint moaning sound. Feeling hopeful, I rushed towards its origin in the woods. I brushed aside the branches of the trees and crept closet.

To my horror, I found Sora and Rika naked on the floor, entangled in each other. Their lips furiously moved and pressed against each other while their hands groped each other's body. From her lips, she moaned out his name. Each one was louder than the last. Sora noticed my presence and looked up. A devilish smile was plastered onto his face and he smirked. Again, they disappeared. I turned left and right to try to find them. I faintly caught a glimpse of a familiar outline in the distance. I smiled and felt relieved. I ran deeper into the woods, my heart beating furiously against my ribcage. I approached the lone figure at the top. She turned around and faced me, smiling sweetly. I pushed myself harder to get to her, but it didn't seem to work. No matter how much I ran, the distance between us seemed to remain the same. Rika's smile faltered and she turned her back towards me. Her long auburn hair flew in the wind as she walked away. I felt my heart drop.

"Rika, no! Come back!"

Sora's laugh rang in the air. I stopped running. My eyes shifted around to find Sora.

"Come on Kilik, admit it. You have no chance. Don't you think she'd be happier without you? Won't you let her be happy?"

I ignored his words and continued running. I ran away from the hill where Rika once stood and jumped to the flat plain below. The grass and the sky melted away and were replaced with pitch black. I panted heavily as I forced myself to go on. I eventually met with Sora. His wrapped hands were casually folded behind his head and he wore his usual grin.

"Don't be selfish, now. Let me have her. Do you think that only you deserve her? What will she think if she finds out? That won't be very good, will it? Let's prevent all that and give her to me!" the voice sounded.

"No, I won't do it! Let her choose!"

"Oh but you already know don't you? She's already chosen and it isn't you…" Sora laughed as he faded away.  
>-<p>

I shot upright. I panted as sweat was dripping from my body. I looked around and saw the debris of my rampage from earlier. I let out a relieved sigh.

"It was just a nightmare."

I brought up my shaky hands and ran them through my hair. The motion felt relaxing, like a mother comforting her child. My eyes peeked out and settled on the face down picture on the nightstand. I swung my legs over to the floor and quickly got up. Trying to erase the nightmare, I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand.

Trudging through the door, I found the corridors to be unusually quiet. It was nearly dark out and no one was in sight. I shuffled my feet towards the kitchen to get a drink of water. Crossing into the living room, I saw something that I did not expect to see. Rika was cuddling with Sora on the couch. I grimaced and attempted to cross without being noticed. Unfortunately, that did not come to my expectations either. About halfway into the room, Rika turned and looked over the top of the couch. Her pale green eyes met with mine. She removed herself from Sora's arm and got off the couch. She moved until she was within a foot's distance from me.

"Kilik-san are you feeling alright? Your eyes are bloodshot and you're sweating a river!" she exclaimed as she pressed the back of her hand against my forehead. At her touch, I felt my heartstrings being pulled. It hurt.

I grunted inwardly and shifted my gaze away from her.

"Maybe he's been getting busy lately~" Sora taunted. I glared a warning at him, which only earned me a smirk before he turned around.

"I'm fine" I muttered as I grasped Rika's thin wrist and lowered it from my forehead. A look of confusion and hurt crossed her face. It killed me to see that look, especially on Rika. I forcefully tore my eyes away from her face and set them towards the doorway in front. I dragged my feet up and walked out of the living room and into the kitchen. I quickly switched on the faucet and cupped the cool water in the palm of my hand. I dipped my face into it and vigorously rubbed it.

I was gasping for air by the time I was finished. I shut off the faucet and hung my face over the sink, watching as the water disappeared down the drain. Each of my hands was on either side of the sink, supporting my heavy body. From behind, I heard Sora's voice.

"Come on Rika, forget about him. I'm sure it's nothing. Why don't you come back here? I'm feeling pretty lonely and cold without you."

A low growl rumbled in my throat. I glared angrily at the doorway of the room where Sora was resting. I trudged back into the room, where I found Sora laying across the couch with Rika resting on his chest. I turned away and headed into the sanctuary of my room, where no one could hurt me ever again.  
>-<p>

**Hey everyone, I apologize for the hiatus. Really got into the Code Geass stories! I had writer's block for this one and so moved on to the others. Also been waiting for the new chapters of Air Gear to come out so I can use parts of it in my stories. So far, nothing, but I gotta say that the story has been getting super complicated and confusing now. Whatever~ it'll be deciphered in due time. Enough of me talking! Let me hear YOUR thoughts! Of anything! Of the Air Gear series, of my absence, my story, your cat, whatever! I'd just like to hear from you guys. It's like a drug~ Hope to see you again! **


	14. Chapter 14: Truth Revealed

**Disclaimer: I don't own Air Gear or anything associated with Air Gear. Enjoy my first fan fiction!  
>-<strong>

It's been a year since that night. I spent the majority of my time sleeping the day away, ignoring the outside world. The only times I would really leave my room was to go to the bathroom, grab something to eat, or participate in a battle. Usually during those times, someone would happen to find me and shoot an arsenal of questions. I would answer everything until the bastard's name was mentioned. When that happened, something inside me would snap. My calm demeanor vanishes and I go mad.

One day, I decided to go out and get some fresh air. Brushing past my ATs, I waltzed out the door. The main door opened and a gust of air attacked my face. Something in my gut told me to be prepared for what was to happen today. I can feel it in the air. With the door closing behind me, I set off into the city. Fairly unfamiliar with the area, I gazed about. From the normal people's perspective, the city seemed enormous and daunting. Storm riders never had this thought. Their ATs would use the shapely buildings as their playground, not as a reminder of the limitations they have. _No wonder normal people are so unhappy. They're jealous of AT riders for being so carefree and unaware of reality._

I somehow made my way towards the Noyamano house. As my feet subconsciously walked down the narrow street, my eyes wandered about. I saw the familiar low houses that scattered all around the block. The sweet smell of strawberries wafted up to my nose. Taken aback, my feet naturally came to a stop and I faced forward. As soon as I stopped, a scream sounded out and something heavy fell upon my chest. Something grabbed onto the front of my shirt tightly and pulled downwards. My arms automatically reached out and secured whatever hit me from falling any further. I jolted and I looked down at whatever crashed into me. The first thing that my eyes settled upon was the flowing locks of bright auburn hair.

I stared at the top of the familiar head for a moment before it shifted. Radiant green orbs stared back at me with mouth agape. _Rika?_

She immediately stood upright and gave a cheerful wave. "Good morning Kilik!" she chimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I… I was just out for a morning walk, that's all. I didn't think I would be approaching your house or be meeting you like this…" I replied.

"Oh well, did you eat breakfast yet? There's some food left. Let's eat together!"

She grabbed my hand. Before I could even begin to think, I dragged up the steps and into the warm house. She released my hand and entered the kitchen, leaving me alone in the silent house. Unsure of what to do, I just stood where she left me, watching her flit about the kitchen. Shortly after, I heard the sizzling of the cooking food and smelled the delicious aroma that drifted into the room. _Mmm… +20 points._

"Kilik-san, can you make the eggs? I'm a hand short here" she called out.

"Of course." I replied. I entered the kitchen and started right away. I got out the eggs, spatula, pan, and oil and set them on the counter. Her eyes met mine and she smiled. I felt ashamed to ask her how to cook the eggs and decided against speaking. I instead did what I could. I clumsily cracked the eggs and whisked them into the small bowl. I waited as the pan was heating up and poured the egg solution onto its surface. Upon contact, the egg began to sizzle and fry. Bubbles formed all around and the color began to turn white. The small glob of what was once an egg bubbled and spouted boiling water over me.

"Ouch!" I yelled as I blew on my scalded finger. I took up the spatula and practically scraped whatever was left of the egg off the pan.

**Rika's POV-**

"Ouch!" a deep voice cried out. The cluttering sound of the spatula clumsily hitting against the pan shortly followed. I turned towards the man beside me with a questioning glance.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Yes, everything's fine—Ow!"

A smile crept upon my face and I turned down the heat on the dish I was heating up. "Here, let me help you"

I took his hand that held the spatula and effortlessly flipped the egg. I took a closer look at the blob on the pan. _That's definitely not going to be enough for the six of us, let alone one person! _"I'm going to grab a few more eggs and let's try this again."  
>-<p>

After seeing him attempt to cook, I decided to teach him a thing or two. I taught him how to properly whisk the eggs, pour the appropriate amount of oil onto the pan, and everything else that came into mind. His hands trembled as they attempted to complete the tasks, but more or less was able to perform them. I giggled when he would swat at his hair whenever the oil splattered.

Today seemed to be so much more fun than when I was cooking alone. Mikan could barely hold chopsticks, let alone cook something. Ringo, Ikki, and Ume were too young to do anything in the kitchen other than peel vegetables or carry things to and from the kitchen. In the end, I was the only one who was capable of providing food for the family. I knew well that the job would be quite lonely and tiring, but being able to see their smiling faces as they ate was rewarding enough.

I became lost in my thoughts. I was unaware that I was still grasping onto Kilik's hand as I absentmindedly flipped the eggs. I also didn't notice the occasional uneasy glances from the silver-haired man.  
>-<p>

**Kilik's POV-**

Her hand was still clutching onto mine. From her expression and dull light in her eyes, I knew that she wasn't paying attention. She went off somewhere in her mind and forgot that she was cooking breakfast. Even though the situation was like that, her slightest touch brought about another fit of fluttering feelings in the pit of my gut. Once in a while, I would steal a glance at her and sometimes set my eyes onto our intertwined hands.

With a mournful expression, I turned my head to her. A frown pulled down the corners of my lips and my eyes hardened. I focused on her long hair, beautiful eyes, and her luscious lips. I thought about her warm, passionate personality. With the object of my desires so close, I wanted to desperately take her into my arms and kiss those lips… but I knew that it would be one-sided.

She chose to be with Sora. I can't do something as low as having her commit an unfaithful act, especially without her knowing! I continued to stare at her with longing eyes and felt a knot twist in my chest.

_God, why do you torture me so? I want her to be mine and mine alone, but you had her love someone else. You have us meet more than I would like and I would always have these feelings whenever I'm with her. Yet I cannot act upon it. Nor can I even tell her how much she means to me. I beg you, please end this. Let me forget about her and let her live her life happily while I live mine._

I then made the decision to distance myself as much as possible. I knew that I would die if things were to continue like this. My conscience would never let it go. As soon as all the eggs were cooked and the dishes reheated, they were hurriedly piled onto the prepared plates and set onto the dining room table. The kids came running down the stairs and started gorging themselves on the food. It seemed very typical for the Noyamano household, but it was a new experience for me.

I stared at them in awe. I was so absorbed that I didn't even touch my food. I suddenly saw a hand bob up and down in front of my eyes. "Kilik-san, eat up! If you're not gonna eat it, they will!"

"Huh?" I asked. "Come on, eat!"

I briefly nodded before I picked up my wooden chopsticks and pinched the rice up to my mouth. I repeated the motion until about half of the bowl was empty. Before I could eat any more, the young boy with a face full of rice stood up and pushed the bowl towards Rika.

"Gimme more!" he exclaimed.

In response Mikan raised her fist and smashed it upside his head. Shortly after, the somewhat peaceful morning became loud and rambunctious. I softly smiled at their liveliness and continued watching on. Then something caught my eye. In the eyes of the Noyamano children excluding the boy were familiar crosses. The hand that gently held the chopsticks tightened and I felt my appetite disappear in an instant. _I'm sure of it. I saw them with my own eyes. There's no doubt about this… I need to go tell the others!_

While the others were settling their disagreements, I quietly stood from my seat and headed towards the front door and quickly closed it behind me. I sprinted through the streets to the tower. By the time I got there, I was sweating profusely and I felt light-headed.

_Running on foot is not my thing…_

I knew that I had to spread the news to the rest of the team so I entered the tower and searched all over for them. I found them in the lounging room, calm and relaxed. I barged in, heart still pounding furiously and slightly crazed. I scanned the room and couldn't find the one I was looking for.

"Sora! Sora where are you? We need to talk."

"What's up Kilik? This isn't like you." Ine commented.

"I went to Rika's home and found out that her 3 younger sisters are Gravity Children that I wasn't aware of! I doubt that they're actually of the same blood!"

Everyone in the room turned to me. Their faces showed signs of surprise, but something about it was offsetting. I ignored it and continued to explain.

"It seems that Rika-san was originally given them by a man named 'Uncle Minami'. Furthermore, one of them is still just a baby. Do you understand the severity of what this implies? This means that somewhere out there, the tower's research is being continued!"

I scanned their faces. Their expressions were more or less the same as when I had first entered the room.

"Why are you all being so relaxed… about something this important?"

I strode over to the seemingly napping Sora with burning eyes. "You! Did you know about this from the beginning?" I shouted. I got no response.

"I see… if that's how it is…even if Rika-san wasn't any better than the average rider, you still would've invited her onto the team wouldn't you?" I hissed. "ANSWER ME TAKEUCHI SORA!" At least that got something from him. Sora rustled about and removed the magazine that was covering his face.

"Alright, since there's no reason to hide this anymore…" he muttered. Black beads of what were his eyes revealed themselves to me. His expression was unusually stern which indicated to me that something big was about to happen.

"Everyone here, all the members of the team aside from you knew everything."

The nonchalant tone in his voice as well as his stinging words left me speechless. Everything was so overwhelming. Sora hunched over his knees and looked straight at me.

"Oh come on Kilik, don't be so grim. Everyone who wanted to say something to you couldn't because of your uptightness. Don't take it too harshly. And hey, while we're at it, think about this. Are you really going to keep the Sky Regalia sealed forever while we all protect it until eternity? Now tell me, what good does that bring us? What does it do for you?" he smirked.

I felt a rising anger come about. The anger overpowered the previous shock and helped me compose myself. "…It's because if we let the Sky Regalia out into the world, it would bring total chaos! Hundreds of people would suffer as a result—"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, GOD?" he bellowed. His eyes widened and the crosses that embedded his pupils shone brightly. He clenched his teeth and his face contorted. "We have no right to consider regular riders as trash. Rejecting them and their goals will cause turmoil, you idiot!"

The room was once again silent until another voice interjected. This time, it belonged to Spitfire. "Actually Kilik, we've all been wondering when you were going to bring this up. All of us here share with Sora's opinion… we also agreed that the tower doesn't belong to you alone. Perhaps our mission as the Sleeping Forest is to assist the world by releasing the Sky Regalia from its underground prison."

I remained silent. Each word that was uttered by each of the members caused my blood to boil. I snarled and stared fiercely at each of them. I couldn't think of anything to say. No words can settle this peacefully. Then behind me, another voice sounded out. Simca.

"Please Brother, stop it already." She whispered. I stared at her, bewildered, from the corner of my eye. I never expected her to side with Sora. "Brother… I think that your feelings are still locked up inside that tower. Even though you probably don't want to, you should accept that there are others, regular people, who can fly under the vast sky as we can. Even with the heavy burden of the Sky Regalia, I believe they are somewhere out there!"

Everyone's words hurt like hell, but hers did it. I couldn't hold in my anger any longer. I released a powerful wave of energy that resonated in the room. The items and the floor began to rumble and shake. I heard Simca scream as she stepped backwards. Everyone else immediately stood form their seats and braced themselves for an attack.

I glowered at the former-allies before me. Swiftly, my arm darted out towards them and a jutting finger pointed in their direction.

"This is no laughing matter! All you team members, 0 POINTS!"  
>-<p>

**Hi guys! For whoever is reading this right now, consider this chapter as a holiday gift! I felt that the previous chapter was so short and rushed that I was robbing you all of a decent reading. I'm gonna try to make it up with this one though! Please drop a review and have yourself a nice holiday!**


	15. Chapter 15: Unforgettable

**Disclaimer: I don't own Air Gear or anything associated with Air Gear. Enjoy my first fan fiction!  
>-<strong>

I made a sharp turn and ended up in a shipping dock. Feeling my energy slowly drain, I decide to take a break. I look around for something to rest on and found a stack of covered crates not far off. I nimbly climb on top and stared at the glassy sky. The sound of boats unloading and the cries of workers filled my ears. Moments later, the screeching of tires interrupted the peaceful scene. I peeked over the top of the crates and found a sports car in the center of the wharf. Almost ominously, the driver's window rolled down and a stream of smoke escaped from the car. Behind it was a wiry silhouette. In a low voice, he called out to me.

"I've been looking for you, Gem King Kilik."

"Me? Who are you and what do you want with me?" I asked cautiously.

"Ha…I'm the chairman of the new 'Storm Rider Law Establishment and Enforcement Committee'. I'd like to speak with you for a moment. Hop in. We'll go for a drive."

I debated fiercely on whether I should go with a law enforcement officer that targeted Storm Riders. He could easily jail me if he wanted to, but he doesn't seem to have the intention. I leaped down from the crates and approached the passenger side of the car. I pulled the door open and slid into the seat. The man beside me was a lot taller than he looked. His narrow eyes looked me over and he smirked grimly.

"Looks like you're quite the stiff"

Confused, I looked down and realized what he meant. I was wearing my usual suit while he wore less than casual clothing, especially for someone in the police force. My striped dress shirt, pressed tie, and thick coat seemed much too formal for any occasion.

"It's my usual attire" I hissed.

"Heh, whatever. Let's go."  
><em>The Shinjuku Crocodile. The enemy of all Storm Riders…even under normal circumstances, I can barely stand to look at him…however…<br>_  
>"Hey, where are you taking me? Do you even have a warrant for this?"<p>

"First, let me get this straight, boy. I hate cockroaches as much as I hate the thought of dying…and of all the cockroaches, I hate—despise you, the bastards of Sleeping Forest, most!" he growled. I jolted and stared at him in shock. I felt such a dangerous aura emanate from his body that a chill shot through my spine.

"DO YOU EVEN REALIZE HOW DISGUSTED I AM AT HAVING ONE OF YOU IN MY OWN CAR? SO JUST SHUT YOUR TRAP!" he yelled before he drew his pistol and shot the sky. "HEY GET OUT OF THE WAY! DON'T MAKE ME ARREST YOU, RETARD!"

I secretly shot a fierce glance at him from the corner of my eye. _If we are cockroaches, then you are a lab rat… I probably wouldn't live long if I actually said that out loud… -20 points.  
><em>I just sat still, not daring to lay my eyes on his enraged figure. Images of him killing me crossed my mind and a sweat dropped down the side of my face.  
>-<p>

The traffic on the highway finally let up and we went on our way. For half an hour, he wove through the city and through the back alleys. We finally stopped in an alley somewhere on the other side of town. Kaito killed the engine and commanded me to look at the scene that was playing before us.

A small group of mafia-looking men were beating several scrawny men. The men on the floor had streams of blood staining their face. The mafia mercilessly continued to kick and punch them to the ground until they were all unconscious. Along the wall were two smaller figures. I focused on them and saw that they were children! My eyes widened at the sight and my mouth hung open. _Is this what he wanted to show me? What's the purpose in this?_

"Isn't this just a fight between foreigners?" I asked. Kaito watched unaffected as he smoked his cigarette. "They are members of an overseas mafia that came here because of the Sky Regalia. Those men that you see getting beaten to death couldn't complete their mission and are getting punished."

"Wait no, that's wrong!"

"Heh kid, you have a lot to learn. Shit like this happens all the time in Japan—no, the world! There's not much to do about it."

"What do you mean? You're police, aren't you? Of course you can do something about it!" I yelled. A high scream broke my chain of thought. I shifted my eyes from the laid-back man and turned to the gruesome scene. One of the mafia men dropped one of the bloody men onto the ground and began to approach the young girl by the wall.  
>I faintly heard their conversation, catching bits and snippets, but could easily read the situation. The man was yelling at the defenseless girl and grabbed the front of her shirt. Powered by the urge to stop the madness, I shoved the car door open and took a step out. I was immediately stopped by an arm gripping onto my coat sleeve.<p>

"Even if you stop them, it won't make a difference. The next day, they'll come back and hunt for them again." He stated bluntly.

I hesitated, but got back inside the car. Even though I desperately wanted to save the children from the foreigners, deep down I knew that he was right. I tore my eyes away from the scene and hung my head. "-40 points" I hissed under my breath.

"Alright, next stop."  
>-<p>

Hours later, after visiting some other places, the Shinjuku Crocodile drove back to the wharf. He reached into the back and pulled out several thin black journals bound by thick string. I saw a glimpse of the emblem on the cover of one and immediately became curious at its content. I thought that he was going to show them to me, but I was wrong. Instead of opening one of the mysterious black journals, he tossed them all onto my lap.

"Here, take these and get out"  
>I hurriedly gathered the journals in my hands and exited the car. "What are these?" I asked.<br>"They're records. They are all that's left of those who died… read some sometime."

I jolted and felt bewildered. "Why are you giving these to me?"  
>"Heh. Because. Although you're one of the bastards that I hate most, I have a feeling that you're the cockroach with the greatest sense of justice."<p>

Before I could utter another word, he shifted gears and raced off onto the streets. I watched the car as it disappeared from view, unable to process any other thought. The bundle of bound journals in my hand felt heavy. I examined the cover, taking in its elegant golden emblem and neat words. Feeling worn out, I began to make my way back to the tower.  
><em>I'll get started on these later. I can't even begin when my head is overflowing from today's events with the Shinjuku Crocodile.<br>-_

Night quickly came. Hours passed until the sky was illuminated by speckles of stars and city lights. Without mentioning a word to anyone, I grabbed one of the journals Kaito had given to me earlier and stormed out. My ATs whirred as I dashed across the rooftops. In the corner of my eye I spotted a particularly tall building with a large light-up sign on its roof. It seemed to be my ideal place to stop and read in peace.  
>The beautiful scenery was a bonus. Low trees surrounded the bottom of the building and it was practically in the heart of the city. Lights both dim and bright flashed all around, creating a warm glow. On the streets below, a thick stream of people passed through, unaware of me being on top of the roof above them.<p>

Satisfied, I sat myself down and cracked the journal open. My legs dangled freely as I flipped through the pages. I felt a sense of grief and guilt rise up in my stomach, but I forced myself to continue. My eyes carefully scanned and analyzed each of the passages that the journal showed me. Each of them involved a death of an officer that was assigned to investigate or pursue the Sky Regalia.

"March 3rd: The confession of a foreign mafia member yielded information that his organization has had an influx of funds from a series of illegal activities. The possibility of multiple foreign banks financing the appropriation of the research data, and all related patents, from the deserted research center in Shinonome is very high."

I flipped to the next page. "August 21: A dispute took place in 'F' State, 'K' Town within the storm rider group, resulting in one death and 3 severe injuries. A member of our task force was in the area; the inner city's high school team is unrelated."

I sighed and pinched my eyebrows. Reading all this was tiring, especially after the massive civil battle of Sleeping Forest. Just thinking about it made my muscles ache. I pushed aside all thoughts of what happened earlier and continued reading.  
>-<p>

I was nearly done with about half of the journal when I heard a soft clanking noise behind me. I knew that sound very well. It wasn't one made by any other tool or contraption. That distinct sound was the sound of ATs hitting concrete. Curious to who was on the rooftop with me, I swiveled my body around to find the origin. What I saw was completely unexpected. Standing nearby was Rika!

"Good evening~" she greeted.

"Rika-san—" I uttered.

"Please, just call me Rika. We've known each other for more than a year! I don't think we need anymore formalities" she beamed. I felt a miniscule blush begin to creep up at the thought of her saying my name. _-5 points. Don't be so weak._

"U-um… Rika, what are you doing here?"

"Nothing really. I heard that you and Sora had some sort of fight. They told me that you would snap whenever his name was mentioned. I thought that I might try my hand as a peacemaker and retie your bonds with him!" she smiled. She clasped her hands behind her back and leaned toward me in a semi-bow. The green scarf that wound around her neck flew freely in the cold wind along with her lengthy auburn hair. It was almost dreamlike.

I was starting to lose my way in my thoughts until her voice broke through.

"I know that Sora has a stubborn side, but you know… Sora isn't such a bad guy. He wouldn't hurt a fly!"

I simply stared at her, not saying a word in response. She sensed my troubled expression and quickly apologized.

"A-Ah not that it's my place to say! I mean…he's just a guy who's so nervous that he can't come! He was afraid he would get so tongue-tied in front of you and… he wouldn't hurt anything… ha ha ha"

I twitched at her words and looked the other way. She noticed and decided to come closer. She rolled over on her ATs onto the ledge that I was sitting on and stared out into the city.

"I was thinking it over and I thought you should know that I took his advice. I started teaching my sisters AT. By the time the girls are first-class riders, I'm sure the world will be a much more different place. Hopefully, one of peace and understanding: a place where everyone will be able to fly freely in the sky…a word of Storm riders—"

I couldn't take it anymore. Hearing how she was being deceived by… that bastard was too much for me. I tried to contain myself by ignoring her, but they always seemed to forcefully draw my attention. _-50 points…_

"NOOOOO!" I bellowed.

My scream echoed through the block, gathering attention from the bustling crowd below as well as the startled woman beside me. I stood up in a hurry and lowered my head. I didn't dare let her see my pitiful face.

"Sora… that man… he…" I gasped. "Rika… you're being fooled by him…"  
>Hot tears streamed down my face and dripped from my chin. The air around us was so quiet that I could even hear the teardrops splatter onto the concrete roof.<p>

"Wha—" she started.

"He cannot be forgiven…" I muttered. For the second time, I let out a pained roar that had plagued me since I met him. All memories and the rage that I kept securely within me were released into the air. Tears freely fell from my eyes and stained my cheeks.

The echoing roar that shook the earth ended. From the side, I saw Rika take a step back and felt the confusion in her stare bore into me. _I can't let her get away… _I took a small step towards her.

"Ki-Kilik…"

At the sound of my name something inside me encouraged me to go on. Normally I would ignore my impulses and think of the most rational method, but this was different. I wanted this. I knew that all the logic in the world couldn't help me get this, so I gave in to my emotions.

In a quick motion, I tightly grabbed her hand in mine. Through my silver bangs, I peered out at her with eyes filled with determination. I saw a twinge of fear appear in her green eyes, but I didn't care. My stern face softened and I pulled her towards me.

A surprise gasp escaped her lips as she fell in my direction. Her body collided with mine and her free hand instinctively grabbed my necktie. The hand that tightly gripped her softened and wound itself around her small hand. The other shot out from my side and gently grasped the back of her head, pulling it up as I leaned forward. Strands of her auburn hair encircled my fingers as they trailed behind.

For a split second I saw her fear disappear and her eyes gleam. I took my chance and lowered my lips onto hers. As soon as they touched, fireworks ignited in my head. A series of bright and blinding colors was all I could see through my closed eyes. The touch of her lips against mine was incredible. It was soft and warm, full of care and love. I just couldn't get enough of it. It was a wonderful feeling that I wished would never come to an end.

At that moment, when our lips collided with each other, my feelings were confirmed:

**I love her.**

**-  
>I thought that the previous chapter was too rushed and unrefined, so I tried to make up for it with this one! I must admit though that I did rush the last half, even though it probably should've been more in depth. I wanted to finish a chapter before the new year, so here it is!<strong>

**Happy New Year, readers!**


	16. Chapter 16: Reunion

**Disclaimer: I don't own Air Gear or anything associated with Air Gear. Enjoy my first fan fiction!  
>-<strong>

After the night of the kiss, things were different between us. The carefree, friendly aura no longer existed. In its place were feelings of confusion and hesitation. It was as if Rika didn't want to have anything to do with me anymore. I noticed how whenever I was around, she would start fidgeting and become all flustered—not in a good way, apparently. Soon after, she would make some sort of excuse to leave the room and distance herself from me as much as possible.

I don't understand. That night was one of the best things that ever happened to me. How can that be so different for the person I shared it with? I suddenly felt an urge to confirm my thoughts and set out to find her.

I leaped up from the couch, startling the engrossed Spitfire in his television programs. He turned to me with a questioning look.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Just out for a while. I need some fresh air." I replied. I saw a hint of a smirk on his face as he turned away and resumed watching his programs. Something clicked in my mind. His action disturbed me. It was as if he knew that something was up. I'm sure of it. In fact, I'm sure that most everyone in the Sleeping Forest knows it. It was uncommon for me and Rika to be so distant with each other after spending so much time together over the time she's been accepted as a member.

I had a nagging feeling that Spitfire expected for this to happen. However, the thought comes to mind: if he knows about the situation, does Sora too?

I quickly shook my head as I searched for my AT's. I found them hung loosely by the steel door.  
><em>I don't remember leaving my ATs here. Who could have done that?<em>

At the same time, the faint buzz of the television rang in my ears. The chuckles that sounded form the fiery-headed man's mouth echoed in the halls. Almost as if he could sense that I was eyeing him, he stuck his arm over the top of the couch and spun his body around towards me.

"Good luck" he called out as he winked and jutted his thumb at me

I half-turned away from him in embarrassment and gently smiled. I waved at him and walked out the door and into the shining world. I started up my ATs and flew up into the air. It felt good to feel the cool wind beat against my skin. I so rarely had the chance to simply enjoy riding. As the guardian protectors of the Sky Regalia, the only time we really used our ATs was in battles. The screech and hiss of the roaring ATs was incomparable to the soft whir of the motor as it glided across rooftops.

It was truly a shame. If only the Sky Regalia hadn't existed. The world, particularly the Storm Rider world, would be so much more peaceful. No battles, no bitterness, just relishing the sky and its endless boundaries. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. This is reality. Of course there would be conflicts.

I hopped onto another rooftop and made my way away from the bustling city towards the quiet residential area. The familiar rows of houses and crowded space finally came into view. I scanned the horizon for the house I was searching for. Launching myself into the air, I performed a backflip and skidded onto the cement below. From inside the rundown house I could hear the energetic screams and sound of crashing objects that could only have come from Mikan-chan and Ikki-kun.

I arrived in front of their door. I merely stood there, contemplating on whether I should intrude on their activities in search of Rika. My hand hesitantly rose up to the door and balled into a fist. I rapped the rough wood with my knuckles and took a step back. Patiently waiting for the face of a certain someone to appear in the doorway, my eyes wandered about. It was a certain habit of mine. I had the tendency to scan my surroundings just in case someone was set on attacking me.

Finally, I heard the sound of the doorknob rattling. It slowly turned and the chipped door was flung open. A pink head of hair stuck out and large eyes peered out at me. They showed signs of irritation and she seemed to have been breathing heavily as if she had just run a marathon. As soon as she recognized me, she let out a gorilla-like snort.

"Oh it's the stiff. You're here to see Rika nee-chan aren't you?"

"Correct, I am. Is she here at the moment?"

"Yep. Come on in while I go get her." She offered as she stepped to the side. I slipped off my ATs and quietly entered the home.

"Geez, you've seriously been hanging around our house a lot. Are you like Rika nee-chan's stalker? Don't you have anything else better to do?" she retorted as she hiked up the stairs. "Nee-chan! Someone is here to see you!"  
><em>Am I considered as a stalker? Yes, I have been visiting quite often, but that doesn't mean I'm a stalker, am I? I can't have an image like that. Why didn't I notice until now? -25 points. <em>

A muffled voice replied, followed by the irate voice of the pink-haired girl. "Go and see for yourself. You're keeping your guest waiting for too long!"

Footsteps plodded down the stairs and I spotted lengthy auburn hair bouncing up and down as she reached the bottom of the steps. She turned to me and stopped dead in her tracks.

"Kilik-san" she muttered under her breath. "What are you doing here?"

I felt my face start to get hot. I quickly cleared my throat and scratched the back of my head.

"I uh I just wanted to see you. It's been a while since we've been together. Do you have time to come with me for a few hours?"

"Oh um. I guess so." She stuttered. "Let me get my ATs and we'll go"

"Alright" I replied as she slowly ascended the stairs. Even though her hesitation was obvious, I felt a pang of joy. She still cared enough about our own relationship to agree to come with me.

"+40 points" I grinned.  
>A moment later the same auburn head of hair bounced down the steps. Clasped tightly in her hands were the Thorn Road ATs.<p>

"I'm ready to go" she called out. After slipping on my own, I closed the chipped door behind us and grabbed hold of her wrist. We launched ourselves into the sky and set out towards the city. From the corner of my eye, I could see her nervously biting her bottom lip. I then gazed at my own hand that held onto her thin wrist. A tiny frown adorned my face as I continued to eye my hand. If it weren't for the circumstances, I would have immediately held onto her hand instead.

I realized at that moment that I had no idea where we were going.  
>"-25 points" I muttered under my breath. A low growl escaped from my throat as I furiously racked my brain for ideas. <em>I hope she doesn't notice that I don't have a plan…<em>

Looking back once again, I noticed how tired she seemed. Her run seems to be void of the energy that she once possessed and her movements seem much slower.

In consideration upon her part, I led us onto the roof of a tall company building. The streets were pretty noisy, but I figured that it was the best option, since it was closest. I had originally considered going into an open area of some kind. Perhaps that wharf I hung out by when I met the Shinjuku Crocodile.

As soon as our ATs landed onto the smooth rooftop, Rika glided past me and leaned against the concrete railing. Her arms folded underneath her chest and rested against the railing. The wind gently blew her auburn hair behind her, creating a slow, surreal scene before my tattooed eyes. She looked beautiful, but somewhat fidgety. Without saying a word, I can practically tell what was on her mind. It was me.

"What's your true reason for bringing me out, Kilik-san?" she asked as she turned her head to me.

"I wanted to discuss our relationship. Ever since I kissed you, things haven't been the same between us. I at least want to restore some part of it."

"Kilik-san…I—"

"Kilik." I interrupted. "Eh?"

"Please just call me Kilik. Do you remember? You said so yourself. That night, you declared that we should just drop the formalities and talk casually with each other."

"Is that so? It must've slipped my mind."

"Look, Rika, I'm sorry that we turned out like this. I didn't mean for it to happen. I just… I just lost control of myself after you mentioned…Sora. He is fooling you and everyone else for his own selfish gains. I didn't want you to fall victim to that…" I ended in a whisper. Replaying my words back in my mind, I realized how over-blown it sounded. I scratched the side of my neck before locking eyes with her again.

"If you're concerned with that kiss, I will tell you now that I don't regret it; not one second of it. The moment our lips touched, fireworks went off in my head. Since you didn't shove me away, I'm sure you felt something too."

"Kilik, I'm really sorry. I'm with Sora. I can't return your feelings." She looked out over the railing and heaved a heavy sigh. For some reason, that fueled my spirit even more. I felt a burst of anger well up inside my gut.

"You can't? Or is it that you just won't? Have you even considered about my feelings for you before running off into Sora's arms? -30 points!" It was the first time I deducted points from Rika. At the sound of it, the side of my face slightly twitched.

"I never even knew you had such feelings for me. What could I do?"

"Rika, ever since I met you, I could tell that you were hesitant in deciding between the two of us. Those gestures and actions that you showed towards me were of something more than between friends. In the short times that we've spent together, I felt our bond strengthen like never before. There was a spark between us, I know there was."

Into the moment, I rushed over to her and grabbed onto her shoulders, turning her body around to face me.

"I want to know, why did you choose _him_?" I pressed. The grip I held subconsciously tightened. "Of all people to choose from, why that conniving, manipulative bastard?"

"…I'm not sure…" she whispered. "I thought we had something together"

At the sound of her soft words, I immediately backed down. My instincts were screaming at me to calm down and take a different approach. From the looks of it, aggressiveness wasn't going to get through to her so easily.

Without warning, I wrapped my arms around her upper back and pulled her into my chest. Her hands, which were meshed in between us, clung onto the front of my shirt.

"Rika, the night we kissed, I finally confirmed something—I love you."

She gasped and tightened her grip onto my shirt in anticipation. Her body tensed and her breathing became irregular. _That's understandable. I'm confessing to her in such a manner, it would be a shock if she __wasn't__ surprised._

"I've never felt this way about anyone else before. I love you more than any other being on this planet. Please at least think about this before making your final decision."

I impatiently waited for her response. All the while, my heart pounded and I began to feel a little warm. I felt a slight force pushing against me and looked down to see Rika slowly pulling away. My heart was tearing and I longed to have her back in my arms.

"I don't know what to say now. It is true that I was having trouble choosing between you and Sora. I admit that I indeed had feelings for you, but it's too late. I chose to be with Sora and I can't turn back."

"Even if you know how he truly is, you still choose to be with him?" I wavered.

"…Yes. I can't just up and leave him like that. Even if I still held feelings for you, I can't do anything about it."

"You can! Be with me. I won't betray you, I won't use you, and I'll do the best I can to make you happy."

She smiled wearily. "If only it were that simple, Kilik." She strode to me and gave me a quick peck on the cheek before turning around and leaping off the rooftop.

A flurry of emotions raged inside me. I mainly felt defeated, but at the same time happy and frustrated. Looking up into the sky, I saw that the sun was beginning to set.

"It's getting dark. I should head back now" I told myself. In a flash, the ATs whirred and sent me into the sky.

By the time I reached the tower, the sun had already set. The night sky was speckled with bright stars and gave off a peaceful aura. I would have stayed out and admired them for a while longer if not for the biting cold and a nagging feeling in the back of my head.

I entered through the main entrance and slipped off the ATs. I held them in my hands as I made my way to my room. In the living room, I could hear hushed voices talking amongst themselves. I poked my head into the doorway and saw the team. There was another figure that stood by them. His long jet-black hair was tied up and he wore tight army-styled clothing. He had a thicker build and exuded this threatening aura. I don't think I've seen him before and yet he looked so familiar.

I slowly entered the room and approached the man. Blackburn, who had noticed my presence, called me over. Everyone's eyes shifted over to me as well as the mysterious man's. His face resembled someone… something that I've seen. His facial features were exactly like… _his._

I inhaled a sharp breath as I realized the man's identity.

"Hello Kilik. Nice to see you again" he smirked.

"It's been a while…Nike" I growled.

**Alright, here's the latest addition to the story! I've been reading the newest Air Gear chapters, but then I found out that a lot of it was of the battle between Ikki and Sora. I had hope that it would include something with Kilik and or Rika, but I guess not. But yea, sorry it took so long this time! Writing 2 stories at the same time is kinda difficult to manage equally haha. Anyway, I hoped you remaining readers enjoyed! See you again in another month or so!**


	17. Chapter 17: Turn of Events

**Disclaimer: I don't own Air Gear or anything associated with Air Gear. Enjoy my first fan fiction!  
>-<strong>

"Hello Kilik. Nice to see you again" he smirked.

"Same here…Nike" I growled.

My cross-embedded eyes narrowed and focused on the bulky man. The more I kept staring at his face, the angrier I became. I eyed his bulging forearms and thick build. His face hardened and squared, his eyes cold and black. He's changed so much since the day Sleeping Forest escaped from the tower.

_I suppose he's grown tired of being compared to his brother. I wouldn't blame him…if I were Sora's brother, I'd change whatever I could._

"It's been years and this is how you treat a fellow brother?" Nike hissed. He grinned menacingly, baring his row of sharp teeth.

"Sorry to say, Nike, but I can't help feel this way" I spat. "Due to recent happenings, I can't stand to glance at your face"

"Ha! Really, now? Hm I guess I should expect that from a killjoy like you"

"-20 points! Don't underestimate me so easily, Nike. Times have changed and I'm not as merciful as I was when I was younger"

The man laughed heartily before flashing another devilish smile.

"Did you think that I ever needed your pity? Your mercy? No. I don't need anything of anyone. I rely on my own power. As you've said, times _have_ changed. Back then I was a weakling; dependent on others around me, I had no power to stand on my own. I was like trash; no use keeping and only worth throwing away. Now, I've become one of the strongest in both the human and the AT world."

"Don't you think you're becoming full of yourself?" I smirked. "Who really can predict the future? You might just be beaten by one of the very people you undermine, dear Nike"

"I will look forward to that day, Kilik."

After his statement, we simply stared at each other. No one said a word. In the corner of my eyes, I could see the rest of the team fidgeting in their places. Their faces alternated between mine and Nike's, not knowing what to do to break the tension. Having enough of the heavy atmosphere, Spitfire rose from his seat and stood in between us, shifting our attention to his fiery, red hair.

"Alright you two, that's enough for one day. We've got so much more time ahead of us to argue. But tonight, we should celebrate. A fellow Sleeping Forest member has returned after a long absence. Why not just sit down, relax, and have a good time?"

"No thanks. I'm not in the mood for celebrating" I hissed. "You guys go on ahead."

"Same as always, eh? I can't believe Simca is your sister. You two are worlds apart"

"That bitch is still here?" Nike asked.  
>I eyed him in curiosity. His words were harmful, but his intentions behind them were not. His tone was somewhat hopeful. The bulky man stole a glance at me and quickly averted his gaze when I caught him looking.<p>

Clearing his throat, he turned towards the other members and clapped their backs with his oar-like hands. Dontores returned the gesture and walked away with his arm over Nike's broad shoulders. The army-dressed man exchanged words with the Rumble King and went off into the other room with the others following suit.

Spitfire noticed my gaze, but brought me back to reality by settling his hand on my shoulder.

"Hey Kilik. Kilik!"

"Hm? What is it?"

"This might not be the best question to ask, but do you know if Rika will be coming? There's gonna be a meeting. She should come to know what's going on."

I didn't answer him immediately. At the sound of her name, I automatically set my eyes on the floor.

"I don't think she'll be attending tonight…" I mumbled.  
><em>After what happened earlier, I don't think I can face her again…at least…not so soon. We suppose some time is what we both need to sort our priorities and get back on track. <em>

"I'll be gone for a while. I need to clear my head"

"Alright, man, if you say so. Just don't be gone for too long" he replied as he made his way towards the others.  
>In the other room, a certain bulky man was listening into their conversation. He leaned back into his chair and rested his hair into his hands.<br>_So….Kilik has feelings for a human named Rika, huh? Interesting…  
>-<em>

I sighed heavily as I rested on the rooftop overseeing the Noyamano home.  
>"Ever since I've met her, all I've been doing is roaming around. Yet every time, I somehow circle back here. Huh. How pathetic. -10 points."<br>_To think that this harsh world could be softened with a loving touch is outrageous. The pain and heartbreak accompanied by such a thought are always overshadowed by its luring temptation. Who am I, the Gem King, leader of the Sleeping Forest, to decide when such a world will end? It will never end. It cannot end: not with our existing ties holding us down. _

I started to stand until I heard the distinct sound of the old, wooden door swing open. At the sight of someone exiting, I froze in my place. My eyes were fixated on the opening, waiting for a familiar face to appear. I was so intent on seeing the person's face that I wasn't aware that I was beginning to lean over the edge. I heard a familiar voice call out and the door closed. Out came a teenage girl with short, pink hair wearing a sweater and brilliantly yellow shorts. It was Mikan.

I leaned back into the rooftop at the realization. I did like the young girl, but there was always some sort of wall in between us that stopped us from becoming closer. Given that she always conversed with me in a blunt, indifferent manner, it doesn't seem like she wanted to become closer either. I knew though, she didn't hate me. Not adored, but not hated. Good enough for me.

The girl was walking down the steps and stopped about halfway. She sighed deeply and cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Hey you! Stiff!"

I cocked an eyebrow in her direction. Even from behind my golden-tinted sunglasses, I could see her somewhat disgruntled expression. I didn't think I would confront anyone today, but luck has not been on my side recently. First Nike and now Mikan?  
><em>I didn't think today would be in my favor anyway…<em>

"Aren't you coming down?"

"I think I'll pass today, Mikan-chan. I have to leave soon for another team meeting"

"Oh really? Looks like you have a lot of time on your hands if you're able to visit us almost every day" she grinned. "Why not spend an extra few minutes for the hell of it!"

"It's not like this will be my last visit. I can come at a more convenient time"

"Come on. You're already here and I happened to catch you looking over our house. Besides, I get the feeling that you have something to say"

I huffed and launched myself off the rooftop and landed just before the hot-tempered Noyamano sibling. As expected, she didn't even bat an eye. We were now face to face, separated by a mere few inches. Our intense eyes locked with each other's. If anyone were to walk by, it would look like we were about to have a showdown.

"So was I right? Did you have something to say to someone here?"

"I…did"

"Let me guess, tattoo-eyes. It's Rika-nee isn't it?"

"Yes"

"God, you're so predictable sometimes. Well, it can't be helped. All you have inside that head of yours is filled with thoughts of her. I'd be surprised if you had anything else in there!"

"That is incorrect, both scientifically and—"

Another voice interrupted my sentence and caused my head to whip towards its origin. The silky, lulling voice invaded my ears and caught my full attention without fail.

"Mikan, what are you doing out there? You were supposed to leave for the market 5 minutes ago—Kilik!"

I silently thanked God for the tinted sunglasses, for although my expression was stern, my eyes betrayed me. I knew that if someone were to gaze into my cross-embedded eyes, he or she would see the longing in them. The longing for the one I can't have.

"Rika" I softly whispered.

I should've been more aware. I didn't think that anyone would hear, but to my dismay, the pink-haired teen before me did. She briefly glanced up at my face before quickly turning to the eldest Noyamano sibling.

"I was on my way, but I spotted him nearby. I was just chatting with him for a little bit. Rika-nee" she called out as she patted her pockets. "Do you mind if you throw me my wallet? I forgot it in the house"

"I have no idea where it could be. Go find it within 5 minutes or else you won't eat tonight"

Rika's threat worked wonders. Without hesitation, the hot-tempered girl sped up the steps and rushed past the woman with arms crossed against her chest. I stood alone on the stairway, watching as the teen disappeared into the house. Her thunderous steps could be heard as she climbed the inner stairwell. Up above, items were tossed and thrown onto the floor. Small, pattering footsteps ran toward the commotion. High, faint voices sounded and were met with a loud growl. Following that was an even louder crash and an echoing yell: Dera Beppin.

A moment later, the pink-haired teen sprang out the door, panting as she held her knees. In her hand, she tightly held onto a small, checkered wallet.

"Here. I've got it here."

"Ah such a shame. I could have had leftovers today" she joked. Or rather, I believed she was joking.

"Now go buy the groceries"

"Yeah yeah, I'm going" Mikan waved as she walked down the steps. With hands stuffed in her jacket pockets, she shuffled down the sidewalk. Right as she disappeared around the corner, she yelled out to her sister.

"You should stay for dinner and Rika-nee, you should invite him into the house. He came all the way here for something, but because of you, I couldn't find out"

We didn't say a word. Almost simultaneously, our eyes shifted towards each other, but broke contact after a quick look. The air around us was starting to become heavy. I cleared my throat and began to leave, but was stopped by the sound of my name.

"Did you come here to tell me something?"

I half-turned my head in her direction with my back still facing her.  
>"There's nothing more to say. I've already asked everything that I wanted to know earlier today" I responded coldly.<p>

Thinking back on today's events put me in a less than pleasurable mood. I couldn't help it. I felt like I was being pushed to the brink of sanity. No one believes me about the consequences of that bastard's plans. Everyone is already siding with _him._ At this point, I was practically fuming. I clenched my fists until my knuckles turned into a pasty shade of white. I moved to take a step forward, but her voice once again restricted my movement.

"I don't believe you. I know you didn't come here for nothing. You're not that type of person. There has to be something on your mind"

I inwardly growled in frustration.  
>"-15 points" I whispered to myself. <em>Why do your knees buckle at the very sound of her voice? You feel anguish and heartbreak from even mentioning her name. She chose someone else over you. You offered your heart to her, but she refused to accept it, so why is it this difficult to take a single step forward? Control your emotions. This is how wars are lost.<em>

"If this is about what I said earlier…" Rika started.

My ears perked up and my body swiveled around. I leaped from my spot and landed on the step directly below the auburn-haired woman. I nearly ripped off the sunglasses off my face and gripped it tightly in my hand.

"Kilik…"

My hands shot out from my sides and latched themselves on her upper arms, squeezing them firmly. Rika was caught off guard. Her widened, fearful eyes showed me everything. She began to open her mouth to speak.

"Don't say anything. Not a word. Just please listen to me for a moment"  
>She gave a slight nod and relaxed her body, knowing that she wasn't in any immediate danger.<p>

"Rika, I love you. I love you with all my heart. I know that you chose to be with _him_, and I realize that I can't interfere, but even knowing, I can't get forget you. Every day, I am tormented. I finally found a piece of my own happiness after so long. I thought I finally found a home where I can be at peace…with you. But somehow, he managed to take away that bit of happiness from me. So please, I beg of you. Please take my feelings into consideration. Let me occupy a small part of your heart. Give me the joy of loving and being loved…"

At this point, my vision started to blur. I could feel the hot tears welling up from behind my eyes. My breathing started to become shaky and my strength was slowly diminishing. _-10 points._  
>Before the first tear could streak down my face, I released her arms and hastily turned my back to her, setting the golden-tinted sunglasses back on my face to mask my sadness.<p>

"I should be going now. It's getting late and you need to get back to your family" I said aloud. My words were empty and were directed more to the vast sky rather than the woman behind me. Not wanting to stay any longer, I took off. The sound of the AT's soft whirring was the only thing I could hear and was my only comfort as I sped across the rooftops.

Back at the tower, my ATs hung loosely from my fingertips. I dragged myself across the rooms towards my bedroom. I couldn't take any more pain at the moment. My energy was nearly depleted and I was in a rather sour mood. However, waiting for me in the main room were Sora and Nike. They flashed their devilish grins at me, almost in a menacing manner.

"How you been, Kilik?" Nike snarled. "We've been waiting for you"

"What's the meaning of this?"

"Oh don't be like that, Kilik" Sora smirked. He approached me and draped an arm over my shoulders. "We've been here for a long time. Don't you think you should show some gratitude?"

"You've done nothing for me to be grateful for"

"Oh no? You should consider all the times I've let you off easy" he replied coolly.

"What do you want from me, Sora?" I asked suspiciously as I eyed Nike and his bulging forearms.

"You're such a bore" the man sighed. The upper corners of his lips then began to curl upward. "You know Kilik, I've noticed that you've been hanging around Rika's house for some time. You visit almost every day! The thing is, I can't let you do that anymore."

"Rika is mine and mine alone. I won her over—"

"-40 points! That is bullshit. I know you. You would trick her into thinking you're an ideal man and use her up until you're done with her"

"Hmph. Angry? If you want her, go get her" he chuckled softly. Nike crossed his arms across his broad chest and scoffed.

"If you want Rika that badly, why not battle me for her?"

"Battle?"

"You heard me right. I want to see how the power of the beloved prodigy Gravity Child. So? How about it?"  
>-<p>

**Okay. Finally after several months, the what, 17****th**** chapter is done? Sorry to break it to you readers, whoever is still reading…I'm deciding on cutting this story short and/or discontinuing it. I just don't have the same passion for this story as I initially did when I started out! By cutting it short/discontinuing, I hope to spare some time for everyone, including myself so that I may concentrate on other matters. Sorry everyone! It was a good run while it lasted, right? Not too bad for a first fan fic. I hope to see a few of you as fans of any future works I produce! Happy reading!**


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